Fall on the West Fork

As I type this on December 21st it is the shortest day of the year and the beginning of winter.  It is a rather perfect time to transition from fall to winter as that is what we are doing this week in Texas.  This week marks the end of fall color and the beginning of our short winter.

Autumn is a long and colorful season in Texas.  Our fall color starts in late October and is just now ending here the week of Christmas.  Over those several weeks we get a long slow change and some great colors.

I have been very busy these last several weeks as fall made its appearance and slow transition to winter.  I know of several good locations for color and have kept my weekends full with visiting them catching the change in the trees.

One of my favorite places is along the West Fork of the Trinity River here in Fort Worth.  In a wooded stretch of river I find some great fall color in the red oaks and cottonwoods.  I have been there seven of the last eight weekends.  From the early yellows through the peak fall color to the last lingering leaves this week, I have photographed this little stretch of river.


I spend most of my time here wading the river (those shots will get posted in the coming months).  I also always take this shot looking down at a curve in the river.  It is how I typically end my mornings as I head back to the vehicle.  

It is bend in the river.  Probably one most would miss and few would ever photograph.  Yet I photograph it every time I visit here. 

In all seasons.  

I did a post of images from last here  Fall 2013 on the West Fork   This is one in that same idea.  These images tell the story of how fall came to the West Fork this year.  

The greens and yellows changing to red and orange.  The days that were clear, or foggy, or cloudy.  The times of harsh light, soft light or flat light.  I made this trek once a week at least.  

This weekend marks the end of the fall color.  I know on my next visit the trees will be bare.  If I get lucky we might have a rare Texas snowfall.  Then by the end of February the trees will be ready to start the cycle of the seasons again.

These images are a highlight of this fall and the change of the season.  It is how I spend my November and December.  Get out and get local.  Chase the colors. Keep going back week after week.

I always make a trip here in late September just to get ready.  Then I seem to work in any fall color trips to other parts of the country.  But as the rest of the country finishes fall we have not yet really started.

I look forward to November and then sprint to the end of the year chasing the foliage.

The yellows started by Halloween.  The colors peak around Thanksgiving week and this was no exception.  That week was very nice with a great mix of reds, oranges, and yellows.  December has brought the last few trees into color as the rest shed their leaves.  It has been a good season and I will spend many days looking at all the images.