10 days ago, on what turned out to be the last warm sunny day of our Summer, we visited one of our favourite country estates – Wrest Park. It’s a place I have photographed before so on this occasion I decided to concentrate on the detail and I found that in the wooded areas where the foliage was brilliantly lit.
It felt like Spring, almost. That same translucency, that same vibrant green. The Acers in particular gave that impression.
But move a few yards and the Horse Chestnut trees looked much more autumnal. Look closer and I suspect much of their worn and ragged appearance is due to the Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner that causes late summer patchy browning but from which thankfully the trees can recover.
However due to the dry hot summer (by our standards), experts have predicted that there will appear to be two Autumns this year. An early leaf drop from trees that have shallower root systems and have not recovered from the stress of lack of water, and a true Autumn in late October. Time will tell but there will be plenty of opportunities to record the events.
LensScaper 
I’ve noticed the change in leaf color as well. Our “burning bush” has a few red leaves on it, weeks ahead of the usual time.
2 excellent shots, Andy.
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Thanks Ken. We have something similar in our garden – sometimes called Smoke Bush – Cotinus Corrygia. That has yet to show any signs of turning red
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I was reading an article in the Telegraph (you can take the Brit out of Britain but not Britain out of the Brit – I still read a UK paper every morning) on-line on Friday about this phenomenon. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/10306554/Fools-gold-autumn-to-hit-Britain.html The image heading up the article was just too much for what they were trying to say. They would have been much better off using your pictures as they are far more representative of what is really happening.
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Mark, thanks very much for your comment. There was a similar article in The Times. That is such a staged false image as the header to the article in the competitor paper! My images are always available to Editors – just had one used by Swiss Railways in their magazine. They paid very well and were a pleasure to deal with.
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We had a long dry spell this summer that came to an abrupt and wet end a few days ago, but it seems like a pretty normal progression of the seasons here on the west coast of Canada.
I like your first shot a lot, such great light and a good background too.
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Sounds like you have had similar summer to us. Thanks for your comment. In some ways these shots break one of the ‘rules’ about not having highlights at the edge of the shot. But I think they work.
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Nice shot, Andy. Signs of Summer’s end are beginning to show in my neck of the woods. It’s been a long dry spell with little to no rain in the last 6 to 8 weeks. But now that Summer has played out, I’m ready for some Fall color.
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Thanks Jimi. We are now having a spell of rather changeable weather with blow average temperatures and grey skies. It will be good to see the Autumnal colours creep in. One of my favourite times of the year.
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I love the transparent green of the leaf. A beautifully composed picture, symbolic of the intensity of nature.
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Thanks Shimon. Intense certainly sums up the brightness of the colours that I saw that day.
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Wonderful images Andy. While it is still warm here, you can see that the trees are changing.
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Many thanks Phillip.
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