“Come said the wind to
the leaves one day,
Come o’re the meadows
and we will play.
Put on your dresses
scarlet and gold,
For summer is gone
and the days grow cold.”
– A Children’s Song of the 1880’s
Ted, Bear, Maddie and I have been taking quite a few walks through the woods this week, and the folder on my desktop labeled “Fall Photos” is filling fast. On Mackinac Island, even though the flowers of summer are so awesome, it is still the woods in autumn that just may be my favorite season for color. Leaves are not at their peak, but they are changing very rapidly. I hope you enjoy this first glimpse into the “dresses scarlet and gold” of Fall on Mackinac Island.
The Carriage Museum lot always boasts some of the first trees to make the complete change-over, and this year is no different.
Little Maddie is always excited to get to go "woods-walking". She couldn't care less about the leaves, but she sure can sniff out the rabbits.
OK - you know I'm not going to know what the plants are. That said, these low-growing plants are turning the forest floor red all over the Island.
Here's a strange phenomenon I'm noticing this year. Instead of each tree slowly turning from yellow to red all over, they seem to be changing colors limb by limb.
A new "canopy". These trees didn't completely grow into each other until this summer. Now they form an arch.
Looking down Cupid's Pathway from the entrance to Turtle Park.
Beautiful red berries against slowly dying leaves.
An old tree begins its color change in Marquette Park.
Vividly colored pots of mums outside Little Luxuries . . .
. . . and the Chippewa Hotel.
Another of those "one limb at a time" trees stands out against the green of the Grand golf course.
Surrey Hill, as the fog crept in on Tuesday afternoon.
Bear, waiting for me to catch up after our walk.
Jason (my oldest) and his wife Blair are flying in Thursday afternoon, and I’ll pick them up at the Pellston Airport at 3 p.m. We can’t wait to see them, and hope we get at least a couple of good days before they leave on Sunday. The Weather Channel is predicting gale-force winds on Friday, before the bottom drops out on the temperatures, and we awake to highs in the 40’s on Saturday. They live in Atlanta, and it’s still in the high 80’s and low 90’s there. They are looking forward to true Fall weather (I think they’re going to get it!).
See you Friday with the Mystery Spot, a few pics, and a little story about meeting a famous author and discovering something exciting about the new book she’s writing!
Bree's Mackinac Island Blog 
I can never get enough of Fall pictures of Mackinac..they are just so beautiful..and this is just the begining! Have a wonderful time with Jason and Blair..well that’s just silly because I KNOW you will! It’s going to be a lot cooler here too but not quite as cool as the island. Enjoy the family!
Your picture doesn’t show me enough to be *ABSOLUTELY* certain, but the “low-growing plants turning the forest floor red” in the third picture are almost surely staghorn sumac. If it has generally cone-shaped “globs” of furry/velvety looking reddish to purplish or perhaps even brownish berries, then it’s definitely sumac. It’s a “trash” bush that grows practically anywhere in northern Michigan. Usually considered harmless, although some folks get a mild rash if they handle it due to the little hairs that can poke you and break off in the skin.
Thank you! I almost said “sumac” because it looks similar to the sumac growing beside our condo – EXCEPT those sumac are tall and bushy.
Have fun with Jason and Blair-hope the weather doesn’t get too bad for you all. My sister just moved back to Michigan from Phoenix and is already complaining about how cold it is down here. I reminded her we hadn’t even hit 40 yet!
Fall is certainly in the air. Here in southern Wisconsin, the leaves are turning like crazy !!! It has arrived with a bang ! A little early, but we had such a dry, hot summer. Enjoy your time with family – each time someone comes to visit, you must get so excited to share your special summer home!!
Beyond excited, Jeani!
Loved the photo w/ the white birch tree by the Grand golf course…just stunning. I think all the leaves are turning colors in a weird pattern this year. Maybe it’s because of the excess rain….or who knows, but it makes it interesting that’s for sure. Enjoy your visit with your family!
It is 11:00 a.m. in Iowa today (Thursday) and the winds just started about an hour ago. Seriously bad hair day!!! So my advice, don’t even bother curling or combing your hair tomorrow. You get a day off of styling. Ha! Ha!
Once again, thanks for the lovely photos of nature and your wonderful pets. I know you’ll have a ball with your arriving family! God Bless you all.
Trees turning color in an odd fashion here in Ann Arbor as well. It makes for an interesting change of pace. We’ll see what happens in another week or so around here.
Have fun!
Bree, have you ever driven through the Tunnel of Trees near Cross Village, MIchigan? It’s not too far from Mackinac Island. Last year, my hubby and I came to Mac Island the first week of October. On our way back to Indiana, we stopped at the Leg Inn in Cross Village, then drove through the Tunnel of Trees enjoying the beautiful fall colors. It was magnificent! Totally worth the trip. I loved Mac Island in the fall. Looking forward to coming back.