Record-breaking delay for autumn foliage

How will record temperature in September and sustained warmth through October

into November affect autumn foliage?

This post is what it was like in the past three weeks.

The pond scape shows a little progressed season with yellowish shades of green 

and brown seeds in the late October.

Muhlenbergia capillaries planted in mass create dramatic dusky pink cloud in autumn. 

Cosmos, written as 秋桜 (autumn cherry blossoms),  is one of the most loved autumn flowers.
They have withered much earlier due to the long scorching weather.

Cosmos atrosanguineus, or Chocolate cosmos, has velvety deep crimson flowers.

Leaves have been changing colors very slow.

Leaves survived the extreme heat of summer.

On the 3rd of November, my daughter's family and I walked along the loop trail

running through the Kasuga-yama Primeval Forest.

The forest has remained virtually untouched as hunting and logging has been prohibited 

since the Kasuga Mountain was revered as a divine mountain since the ancient time.

 The forest was off-limits to the public until after WWII.

 

The contrast of light and shadow

Japanese Maples were still all green

It's relaxing to walk in the forest hearing the sound of river.

This trail leads to the top of the Mt. Wakakusa. We turned back halfway.

Another part of the loop trail is Takisaka-path, which I reported in Takisaka-no-michi Path.

M's Shichi-go-san celebration & hiking in the forest 

Currently Sakura (Cherry tree) leaves are beautiful. 

I love autumn leaves of Sakura, which are as attractive as it's spring blossoms.

Now we are in the first cold spell of the season but it will get very warm next week.

I have mixed emotion to think about the fact that there is this warmth

behind the more and more violent weather events.

Linked to Mosaic Monday

What's it like in summer-like October?

October has felt like summer so far.

Barely less than 30 degrees C, the highest in the daytime, is too hot 

for the second half of October.

The prolonged hot weather has delayed the coloring of the foliage.

At this pond surrounded by Japanese Maples, all were still green a week ago.

While the sun glared down on me, water splashes through my camera lens

 reminded me of shaved ice.

As for the seasonal flowers, they have come into bloom as usual.

Japanese Bush Clover

Sweetgum, or Liquidambar formosana, is one of the trees changing colors early.

I feel like that October is new summer, too warm but comfortable with crisp air

 totally different from the past three months sultry summer.

Temperature has dropped significantly at last today due to the yesterday's rain.

 Pigweed pollen is in the air in my part of the world.

I've had allergy to it and my symptons are the hardest this year.

Do you have any hay fever at this time of year?

Linked to Saturday's Critters

         Mosaic Monday

The first signs of autumn at the Sagiike-pond

When people were exhausted and worried how long the unrelentless summer heat

would last, cool and crisp air arrived right on the Autumn Equinox suddenly.

We felt revived for a short while.

Now that it's October, however, we are still experiencing nearly 30 degrees C in the daytime.

These images are from the Sagi-ike Pond, Nara Park, on a cloudy weekend morning. 

At this time of year, I feel autumn in the air and in the colors of pond.

Algae have made the pond colors much greener. 

Are drones flying over in formation?

Water-striders were busy skating across the pond.
Their figures with their reflections looked like drones.  

Yellows in the pond reflection are suggestive of a little coloring leaves.

Sakura leaves have started changing colors.

Crape myrtles were still lingering.

Weathered fallen leaves and reflected trees play together to make a painting 

on the water canvas.

So peaceful and quiet in the cool morning air.

Extreme weather has become norm: the deadliest hurricanes in the US, 

the devastating floods in Europe and Asia, to name a few.

Small 23 rivers were overflooded in Noto-peninsula which has not recovered 

from the catastrophic earthquake of January.

Though helpless in the huge energy of nature, even tiny bit effort in any form 

can cause huge positive impacts on climate-change.

Each of us is a part of nature as well as a part of this historic urgent challenge.

Linked to Mosaic Monday