After seeing the changing of the leaves on my trip to the Buffalo River, I knew Autumn had finally arrived even if the temperatures weren’t cooperating just yet. I couldn’t let this shortest time of the year pass me by, so I decided to visit another area the following week: Blanchard Springs.
I arrived at the Blanchard Spring Trailhead right at 6:30 in the morning, well ahead of the 7:20 sunrise. Sitting in my truck, I waited. . .and waited. . .and waited for it to get bright enough to start doing some photography. As the sky got lighter, although still not light enough to photograph, I looked out the window and noticed a small group of trees with a lot of yellow leaves behind them. The mental image I had was of a baby elephant or maybe a lion cub peeking out from behind its mother.
Once there was enough light, I spent a few minutes composing the scene making sure to eliminate any sign of the top of a stone wall that was between me and the trees and leaves.
I began walking the short paved trail as it made its way along Blanchard Spring Creek. It wasn’t long before I stepped over the small stone wall, began meandering along the side of the creek, and discovered a small oak leaf lying oh so gingerly on a bed of moss growing atop an old fallen tree. The contrast between the brown leaf and the green moss was what caught my eye. But, what really struck me was how, among all the death and decay around it in its small world, the moss was growing, thriving, and full of life.
I made my way to the end of the trail. Stepping through the creek to get to the other side of it, I spotted some fallen leaves, with their various shades of yellow, orange, and green, that had collected on a rock.
One of the nice things about photographing at Blanchard Spring Trailhead is that it sits in a bit of a canyon providing a little more time to photograph without having to deal with harsh lighting conditions. But, after about two and half hours, the sun had risen high enough that the lighting had become problematic, so I decided to head home. I made my way back to the highway and, as I turned, I noticed this small group of leaves that epitomized Autumn. Finding a place to turn around and get off the road, I was able to photograph these bright, colorful Autumn leaves.
