M&M's driveway cuts a swath through the forest, and offers lovely peeks into the woods. Beautiful in every season, I love taking walks along the steep, nearly mile-long paved drive and enjoying the scenery.
The fall colors were beautiful.
Look but don't touch! I think these are poison ivy berries.
Oak leaves, with white birches in the background.
Wild asters were everywhere - pale lavenders,
and pristine whites.
The wild grape vines were a pretty, almost irridescent peachy-pink with touches of green.
Who ever said silver and gold don't go well together?This was the first time I'd visited M&M in October, but hopefully not the last. It's a beautiful time of year in the Wisconsin Driftless region.
Linda .. I have never seen poison oak berries .. now I know what they look like !
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful area to take a walk .. I love the silver and gold combo .. wild grape leaves are so pretty ! I just have the "tame" ones ? haha
I am a big fan of birch and oak trees .. I have to enjoy everyone else's ? since I don't have any here ..
Wonderful walk in the woods !
Joy
Linda, So different from the cites many of us live in...thank you for taking me along with you on this lovely walk through your Motther's part of Wisconsin! You have captured some beautiful scenes...the silver and gold trees (frameable), the charming aster and the wild grape vines...all beautifully illustrate the gifts of fall.
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What a wonderful stroll through the woods. I like the silver and gold combo too. Thanks for taking us along. I think they are probably warmer than we are up here in the frozen tundra region. At least they still have lots of beautiful leaves on their trees to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThere is already very little snow left even though they measured 2 inches of snowfall in town. (A record I might add.) Whew!
That last picture is especially nice! That is a perfect fall image. Of course when someone says "Silver and Gold" I always think of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer...
ReplyDeleteI've never seen poison ivy berries before. I wondered what they looked like and how they can spread so fast.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda, you have done a great service showing those poison ivy berries. With the leaves gone it is hard to distinguish the vine but I know firsthand that it can still give you a severe case of those dreadful itching bumbs. I love the way you describe the grape leaves, they are unique in that frosty color and the shape is so beautiful. Nothing beats a walk in the woods, especially from the lazyboy! ;->
ReplyDeleteFrances
http://fairegarden.wordpress.com/
Looks like the colors are fading to brown. But its ephemeral final burst of colors is what makes fall so special.
ReplyDeleteThat is a beautiful area. When I was a kid, my family would go to Southern WI (Kettle Moraine area) every autumn to see the colors. I love those Oaks & Birches.
ReplyDeleteLinda, you mentioned that our home forest is in the Driftless Region of SW Wisconsin. Maybe some of you know the reference, but in case some don't .....
ReplyDeleteThe Driftless area of the upper midwest, also known as the Paleozoic Plateau, includes small parts of Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, though most of it is located in SW Wisconsin. 'Driftless' refers to the fact that during the last glaciation glaciers didn't push into this area, so there is none of the debris normally pushed in front of them. However, there is evidence of glacial melt flooding.
Since the hills were not levelled, it is an area of folded ridges and valleys, with numerous small rivers, creeks and trout streams, and cold water springs. There are also lots of small caves.
The area was once a large inland sea so much of the underlying rock is limestone,(compressed shells of sea creatures), and sandstone. Because of water and wind erosion there are many bare rock outcroppings with picturesque names, such as Elephant Rock, Castle Rock, Steamboat Rock, etc.
What an absolutely lovely place for a walk -- one of my favorites are those brown-sugar brown leaves of the oak. I don't believe there's another tree that carries that precise color.
ReplyDeleteHi Joy, definitely stay away from those berries!
ReplyDeleteIt's so pretty there! Their driveway is VERY steep - talk about a butt-blasting workout! Downhill's a piece of cake, but uphill on the way back to the house. . . sheesh! I'm usually pretty out of breath by the time I get back up to the top. It's excellent exercise - literally mountain climbing!
I have an ornamental grape - it's got dark purple foliage now. Grape vines are really pretty, not to mention that I LOVE grapes! Thanks for coming along on the walk!
Hi Gail, it's very different than our suburban area - refreshingly different.
When they first moved up there I wasn't crazy about the remoteness of their home. The first couple of nights I stayed there, I was terrified when hearing the raccoons on the deck. Their footsteps are pretty heavy, and I was sure there was some murderous burglar out there! I really wasn't too thrilled about Mom being up there in what seemed like the middle of nowhere.
Obviously my feelings about the place have dramatically changed over the years, and I've come to love it. There is so much that's special about their place and the community they live in. I would absolutely love living in a place like this.
Hi Cinj, thanks for coming along on our stroll through the woods! They probably are a bit warmer than you are, and a bit colder than we are in the Chicago area. I'm glad your snow melted. It's too early for that! I sure hope this winter is milder and less snowy than last winter!
Thanks Dave. There are so many picturesque spots up there - it's easy to get nice photos!
I half expected Rudolph to show up here yesterday during our little snow storm!
Hi Tina, I tend to touch plants alot - I like feeling the textures. I'm very glad I didn't touch those! I didn't realize what they were at first.
Hi Frances, it was a bit of a surprise to me to learn what they are. I'm glad I didn't touch them! It would make me feel very good if I helped someone else avoid contact with them. So far I've been immune to poison ivy, but I am still very careful around it because I know that can change at any time.
Thanks for coming along on our walk! I'm sure you were much less breathless in your lazy boy than I was on that steep slope!
Hello Robert, thanks for visiting! I suspect the peak of color is past now, and most of the leaves are probably down.
Hi MMD, what a nice family tradition! It surely is pretty up there. Even on our way up to Mom's, on I-90 before and after the WI border the fall foliage was beautiful.
Hi Mom, I went into a bit more detail about the Driftless region after I was up there last month (post dated Sept. 10.) You've provided even more information about your beautiful home area - Thank you!
Hi Nancy, I absolutely love oak trees - they're my favorite tree, no contest.
When I'm up there visiting, I usually take at least a couple of walks a day down and back up their private road. It's always different every time I'm there, and always beautiful.
It,s wonderful experience going through yr blog.
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Thank you Ashok for visiting and for your comment!
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