Late Fall Colors

— One of the many advantages of the fall season in Austin is the fact that even in mid-December one can find stunning fall foliage around the city and central Texas. This week, for example, I took a short walk on the south end of the Copperfield Nature Trail. By now, I figured every tree would be leafless and showing areas of the trail I had not seen all year around. Although many trees had already shed their leaves, there were still several elm and oak trees with vibrant fall colors. Also, I was able to discover new areas to access Walnut Creek because of the leafless trees.

Right at the trail entrance, I came upon this small oak tree reaching up towards the sky. It was still a new tree, and its leaves were showing signs of the recent cold nights we have had. With the sun light shining through the leaves, I was able to capture the photo you see below by simply getting my camera under that one leaf.

Continuing my walk along the creek area, I went up on the trail towards its highest section. That is where I ran into several oaks and elms along the trail. As the sun was beginning to get lower in the horizon, I did not have to do much to capture the photo you see above. Yellows, oranges, and red hues produced this beautiful color palette shown in that photo.