First icycle

Yesterday we had the first real freeze of the autumn, and some icycles were hanging from the edges of drains.

Sunset and pink clouds

Sun sets real early now. I was out with the dogs right when the sun dipped below the horizon, making the clouds and horizon pink and gold.

Aronia (chokeberry)

Aronia (chokeberry) is really beautiful and colorful right now. Sun is setting earlier and earlier each day.

Oak

The cool of the autumn still hasn't gotten all of the trees to drop their leaves. Like this oak here, mostly green still.

Then again, most of the maples have dropped all of their leaves already.

Frosty morning

This morning was the first one with a frost bite. Yesterday was already cold, but today the temperature was below zero and the ground was white with frost. The sun is shining brightly, making the air clear and crispy.

Bright red cherry trees

I have never before noticed how beautifully red cherry trees become in the autumn. 

Cucumbers and red currants

October has set in. Leaves are falling faster than anyone can rake them. Mushrooms are popping up in funny clusters. I was out in the yard doing a Littlest Pet Shop photoshoot and noticed that our unlucky plants have actually produced two sorry looking cucumbers. There are also some red currants, uneaten by birds, still in one of the already leafless bushes.

Flowers, mushrooms and colorful leaves

During this past week, the birches have turned all yellow. Yesterday was a very beautiful, very warm autumn day, today was a bit cooler, though mostly sunny. Yesterday we went hiking through some forests for a few hours, today our dogs were tired, so we only went walking around here a few times. Despite the autumn pushing, there's still flowers blooming here and there - yesterday we walked past a meadow full of flowers - with bees and other insects buzzing around. Mushrooms are popping up and climbing ivy on the balcony railing of our neighbor looks fantastic in its magentas and purples.

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Colors of Autumn

Our autumn this year has been a rather warm one so far. Still, the dropping night temperatures have slowly but surely started to turn nature into autumny colors. On Sunday we went outing in Nuuksio National Park, where there were still some blueberries (bilberries, really) in the bushes. Streets and trails are covered in fallen leaves - even though the trees still look pretty green. Aronia (chokeberry) is of the most beautiful autumn sights, with its leaves turning bright red and mauve, in contrast with the near black berries.

First snow

First snow came down on Friday. November became instantly prettier even though I don't really like snow per se. The snow came down thick and wet, as the temperature was only right there at zero degrees C. It piled on berries and apples that are still hanging on to their tree branches. It was a fluffy 10-15cm that is bound to be gone by Tuesday; the temperature is already on the plus side again and should climb up to +5C or so according to the weather forecast. These November snows rarely stay on the ground for more than a few days.

 

 

 

 

Icy

After a mostly very warm autumn, winter has shown its teeth this week, reminding everybody that the cold and snow is on its way again. Yesterday we had the first snow, sort of. Light white stuff fluttering around, settling on the ground for a while, making the roads slightly slippery here and there for half of the day. Today there is no snow left, but it is cold and windy and all the little creeks and puddles are frozen and even the ponds on the golf course are partly covered with a thin layer of ice.

Our Timmy, the dog that we got in late July, is puzzled and confused by th cold and ice. It's probably the first time he experiences them. And the need to wear a pullover. He seriously dislikes it...

 

 

 

Foliage and mushrooms

Autumn around here is starting to be at its best, with trees and undergrowth, like blueberry bushes, changing form green to yellow, orange and red. Many trees have lost all of their leaves already. Mushroms are everywhere, a lot of them already decaying.