An old hayrake was abandoned so long ago, it’s now surrounded by mature trees. Well, pretty mature, some of them were dropping acorns on my head while I took this picture.
Wesley Hill is a preserve south of Honeoye Lake, managed by the Finger Lakes Land Trust. I like the varied mix of trees – – maples, oaks, black walnuts, shagbark hickories, hemlocks, white pines, red pines.
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That one red leaf in the second picture really grabs our attention.
You caught great texture in those two photographs showing the rough tree bark. The first one is especially good because of the contrast with all those yellowing leaves.
Hope you didn’t get conked too badly by falling acorns.
Thanks Steve. “Conked” is the perfect term to use, we used to call horse chestnuts ” conkers” when we would throw them at each other, when we were kids.
You mean you don’t still throw them at each other?
I think my sister has a better arm than I do at this point!
Maybe your arm got conked too often. Maybe it even got conked by a conch, which would’ve been worse than by a horse chestnut.
That sounds like a rich forest. These images are absolutely lush. You really feel like you are there, seeing the saturated colors. Feeling the acorn land on your head. You’re sure those trees are mature, throwing acorns like that?
There’s one odd thing about these woods — there are more hollow trees than anywhere else I’ve ever been. I’ve thought of possible explanations, but never really hit on anything to explain it
Huh~that’s interesting.
In re the closeup of the tree bark: do you know what kind of tree it is? That bark has a lot of character.
Hi Neil – The yellow leaves are on maple trees, but I think that trunk was a really ancient black walnut. It really stood out for all those corrugations.
Lovely photos, Rob. That dark and gnarled trunk bark is fascinating. Apropos hollow trees, they might have been homes to woodpeckers or other creatures that once (or many times) lived inside them and gradually dried out. I’m just guessing about that, but it seems logical.
Thank you, Val. It was just kind off odd, to have so many in one woods, I’d say, every fifth tree. It is a good place for birdwatching, and I did in fact see a woodpecker that day.
I just read another possibility somewhere – – if people were tapping the maples, for maple sugar, those drill holes can introduce fungus, etc. that could hollow out the tree eventually.
That sounds likely.
Regarding the variety of tress and the various shades of colours and tones, your area surpasses in beauty anything I have come across with my camera at the Arrow Lakes. Outstanding photography showing fall at the best time of the year, Robert!
Thanks so much, Peter. I look forward to the fall foliage every year. The Finger Lakes’ scenery is at its peak in the autumn, and the great variety of trees makes a fantastic spectrum. Overall, it strikes me that it’s a small-scale scenery vs. the large-scale, more dramatic, year-round scenery of your mountains and lakes in the Rockies.
Beautiful pictures, Robert. Autumn (Fall) at its very best! And something especially stunning about picture #5 – the contrast between the yellows and the dark trunk.
Thank you, Mick. My favorite season.
Beautiful photos here! Capturing those last few leaves, before they fall away. Cheers!
Thank you, Cecilia. I’m going to post a few spooky photos soon, but none of them with cream cheese eyeballs!
Dear Robert,
we really like the colours of your pictures and especially the pictures of the confrontation of the hard metal with the soft nature.
Thanks for sharing
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thanks very much, so glad you enjoyed the pictures. I encounter old iron in almost every walk in the woods, so much of the forest in NY is second growth, and the land was once farmed.
Wonderful photos. The colours are so richly autumnal and I love the compositions with the old rake.
Thank you, George, I’m glad you liked ’em. The leaves are coming down fast now, and we might have snow on Thursday.
Very nice walk you took us along on, Robert. The rake reminds me of a huge old iron chain belt I found sticking up out of the ground in the middle of a woods. Maybe part of a logging operation.
The roughness and aged character of the tree bark is quite a find. Speaks of years experiencing the harshness time that builds strength and character.
Many years ago I knew someone from Honeoye Falls which I guess must be near Wesley Hill.
Thanks, Steve. I’m guessing I was about 25 miles SE, but they’re definitely “related,” I was south of Honeoye Lake, and the falls are on the creek that flows out of the north end of the lake, and eventually goes into the Genesee River, south of Rochester. Honeoye Falls is a nice little village.
I was thinking they must be related too. I mean, how many places can be called Honeoye?
It just clicked, I know exactly what you mean about the iron chain belt, I’ve seen that where they were logging. I guess to drag the logs up to the saw
Yes, the ones I have seen are link chains but I know the regular chains do the job too.
Despite all the treats here, the last photo’s my favorite. I love looking through woods; it’s such a rare experience for me, and this is the season when it’s especially nice. The tree with the knobby bark is extraordinary. I don’t remember seeing anything like that, ever. There were a lot of black walnuts in the woods around the cabin I used to frequent, and along the creek beds, but their bark was nothing like this. Of course, they may not have been so ancient. Age does bring wrinkles to us all!
The single red leaf recalled this, from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Christobel”:
“The one red leaf, the last of its clan,
That dances as often as dance it can.”
Oh that’s great, thanks for the poetry! Yes that old tree was notably rugged-looking, seemed to be very healthy
Good eye on these! It’s looking pretty beautiful in that part of the country. Have you stayed interested in exploring photography as more than just a means to an end? Because you’re not just a thoughtful writer. Hope this finds you doing well. Happy Wednesday.
Hi Jason, thanks, Happy Wednesday to you. I don’t think anybody can go wrong taking pictures of fall foliage. Every year there’s some tree or shrub or individual leaf that just rocks.
A lot of good shots in this set. Are these from your files or did you get back to NY for the colors this year?
Thanks, Dave. Files. But I’m headed back for a few days at Thanksgiving
Hey Robert…Thanks a lot for sharing those especially the maples !!!
Thank you, I’m glad you liked them!
So many great images, Robert – what a beautiful place. I like the leaf that fell onto the fern and the nutshells as much as those stunning images of light through the trees. And that bark is otherworldly. Happiness is upstate in Fall. 🙂
Thank you Lynn, my favorite time of year.
Absolutely gorgeous colours! 🙂
Thank you, Pit. It’s such a great season, wish it lasted longer!
Nice forest!
Yes, a nice area — now of course, covered with snow ❄️
Should be nice with snow 😊