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