Autumn colors

Autumn seems to have descended upon us suddenly, much earlier than in previous years. Yesterday, the temperature dropped about 10 degrees and all at once everybody donned their new fall clothes, swathed in woolens whereas the day before they had been sauntering around town in sandals. Best of all, the falling temperature brought vivid shades of red and yellow to the Japanese garden at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which hardly anyone seems to know but me. I was left alone, along with the birds, to appreciate this colorful tableau this morning.

Japanese Full Moon Maple

There is a beautiful specimen of Full Moon Maple (Acer japonicum) at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. I love the way the colors are changing on the foliage, with a deep red around the edge, subtly turning coppery and yellowy as it spreads into the still green leaves. Look closely at the leaves and you'll see a whole spectrum of hues in between the delicate veins.

Autumn bouquet

Nicolette sent me a photo of a recent bouquet she created for a September bride. So lovely. 

New Kings of Convenience album

Kings of Convenience's new album, after a 5-year wait, is finally here. Influenced by Brazilian music, it's a collection of delicate tunes perfectly suited for a melancholic day like today. I also love the picture on the cover.

Rainy Sunday

It's a rainy sunday and I just want to spend the day looking at beautiful pictures, like this one by Jacqui Hurst. The oak bench around the tree is by the English sculptor Alison Crowther. I wish I could make things like that. 

Autumn leaves and such

Little treasures collected this morning.

Dahlias

My dahlias from the Farmers Market. There's nothing like dahlias to cheer up the autumn garden. Originally discovered in Mexico in 1615 by a Spaniard, the dahlia was also noticed in the same country by the French botanist Nicolas-Joseph Thiéry de Menonville in 1787. It was not until 1789, when the first dahlia – grown from seed sent from Mexico City to Spain – flowered and was named Dahlia coccinea, after the 18th-century Swedish botanist Anders Dahl, by the head of the Madrid Botanical Garden. There are now thousands of cultivars in a riot of colors, and they add cheerful notes to the garden as autumn wraps its bronze hues among the plants. In Japan, the dahlia is called Tenjikubotan, meaning "Peony of India." I like the rather unpretentious dahlias, such relative newcomers in the garden, for their unfussy habit and lovely colors. Around this time of year, they can enliven a garden, or a room, far better than the ubiquitous mums, which get planted by the tons in corporate parks, suburban yards, and outside so-called luxury apartment buildings around the city.