The woods felt perfect today. The colors have shifted from oranges and reds on the ground and yellow in the canopy to yellow leaves on the ground with the occasional spots of red and orange, and yellow leaves falling in the wind. Last time I came to my spot, the highway was the loudest thing I could hear. But the wind drowned it out today. All the trees that were green a few weeks ago are now light or bright yellow, and so many more leaves are on the ground. Theres a blanket of yellow on the forest floor, and the leaves still hanging on to branches make the understory glow golden with filtered sunlight. I don’t know if it’s the added color on the ground or the light, but the ferns seemed much brighter and more unfurled today. Given that ferns are a spring plant, I’m thinking they were soaking in the last bits of sun and warm(ish) air before they die off in the winter. It did make really excited to come back here in the spring and see them in their full glory though, seeing them so vibrant today. All the black cherries have dropped their leaves, but the maples and oaks are still holding on to a lot of their leaves. I also found a lot more acorns on the ground today, which is all fun and games till the wind is knocking them out of the trees at you like grenades. I kept hearing them hit the ground hard behind me. My spot felt a little less closed in today, what with the wind and the canopy much more cleared out. I’m hoping that that means when the snow finally starts falling, it’ll cover the ground completely. It felt good to be able to sit quietly and soak up the last sun of fall, don’t get me wrong, but I’m very excited for winter.