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In autumn, forests take on fiery hues, offering a stunning array of colours, from ochre through orange-red.
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Silver maple trees display their reddish gold foliage. They stand next to imposing cottonwood trees with their heart-shaped, paler yellow leaves.
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During this season, mushrooms are plentiful in the swamps, springing forth a bit everywhere, sprouting from the sodden ground, or hanging off the bark of trees.
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Near a body of water, a number of shrubs such as willow and alder may be seen, as well as a few large Cottonwood and Silver Maple trees.
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On the riverbanks, rushes display their yellowing stems.
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The spikes of cattails burst open and release their seeds; these are equipped with tiny feather-like structures that enable them to travel over quite a distance.
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Common reeds (phragmites), particularly gregarious plants, are topped with flower clusters and tufts of silky hair. They look like silver feather dusters shining in the sunlight.
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Cooler weather and declining light bring about a wilting of vegetation. Stems bend, and dip their tops in the water.
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A few flowers survive in spite of the colder weather. They neighbour other plants that are completely dried up. Some more resistant leaves still retain their greenery.
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Many shapes of fruit can be seen in this season. The climbing nightshade still displays its bright red fruit. They are not edible, being extremely toxic.
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The fruit of the wild cucumber are little more than dried husks at this time, giving them the appearance of miniature sponges. Within this husk are two coal-black seeds.
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Riverbank grapes cling here and there, still laden with numerous clusters of tart fruit. Besides, Jacques Cartier had mentioned that they were abundant in the region when he visited it.
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Common milkweed, the favourite food of the Monarch butterfly sprays downy featherlike structures carrying its seeds. They are so light that they are shuttled to and fro on the wind. Early settlers in Nouvelle-France used these to fill their mattresses.
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Nature is an expert colourist; it creates subtle arrangements, exposing a full range of red shades: vermillion, garnet-red, purple, and orange-red.
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Amidst a pile of rocks, a few dry twigs stand near Yellow toadflax that still display their luminous yellow blooms. |
