Rich autumn color at Lady Bird Lake

November 23, 2010


Lady Bird Lake blazed with fall color last Friday afternoon. Strolling the 3-mile loop on the hike-and-bike trail, my daughter and I were captivated by the beauty of rusty bald cypresses and golden cedar elms and realized we’d lucked upon the peak of fall foliage.

Admittedly, the height of fall color in Austin is only middling compared to that of the northeastern, northwestern, midwestern, and southeastern U.S.—pretty much everywhere else.

But in a certain light the trees absolutely glow with beautiful color.

The swans were enjoying the autumn afternoon too.

Tree leaning over Barton Creek

Bald cypresses framing a bench

Good canoeing weather

A cedar elm’s gold and green mingles with a bald cypress’s rusty orange.

The somber, dark trunks of the cypresses contrast with the orange, ferny leaves.

Glorious against a bright blue sky

What a beautiful day. I’m thankful for it.
All material © 2006-2011 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

0 responses to “Rich autumn color at Lady Bird Lake”

  1. Lisa at Greenbow says:

    We have so much to be thankful for. All of this golden light and foliage is gorgeous. Thanks for sharing it.

  2. Lisa Blair says:

    Yes, this is perfect paddling weather. Afternoon light is soooo perfect this time of year. I love the long shadows at 3 PM.

  3. The cypress is a messy tree. But, it makes up for it, with that beautiful color.
    Seems to me, the color is especially good this year.
    Thanks for sharing your day.

  4. David C says:

    I think your foliage color is actually quite vibrant, having also seen fall in the NE, New England, and all over. The light, plus blue sky on the day you shot those, seems to do the trick.

  5. Amy says:

    Fall is a beautiful time of year in Austin. I loved looking at your photos…the last one is very inviting!

  6. Vertie says:

    I was down there on Sunday and wished I had brought my camera so thanks for bringing yours.

  7. Jean says:

    Beautiful indeed! Coincidentally, today when I drove up to my house for lunch I was thinking how all but the oak trees are peaking right now with their fall colors. Can’t wait for the oak trees. Although the South can’t compare to other parts of the world with fall color, I do think the vibrant blue skies we have make a great contrast and make up for any so-called lack of fall color.

  8. Cyndy says:

    That looks like a magical day on Lady Bird Lake. I think your fall color is quite nice!

  9. Gorgeous photos! I love the views from the trail by Lady Bird Lake.
    Hope your Thanksgiving is warm and happy.

  10. Les says:

    One must take their fall color where it is found, and what you found was beautiful, even if it was not someplace famous for foliage.