Showing posts with label fall colors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fall colors. Show all posts

Thursday, October 27, 2022

Discover St. Charles in the Fall

fall display of pumpkins and hay bales

 One of my favorite places to visit, is a town that is only a few miles away from me.  It is historic St. Charles Mo.  It has a very vibrant Main Street that attracts visitors all year long.  I have written about this area several times in the past and I will include those links later in this article.  Today I want to review with you some of the photographs I took on a beautiful fall day in October 2022.  First of all, here is a photo I took telling a little bit about the history of the area.

history of St Charles plaque

Main Street in the Fall

Main street is a wonderful area with cobblestone streets and sidewalks and lots of delightful little shops and restaurants.  In the fall the shopkeepers do a wonderful job of decorating for the season.  We saw lots of pumpkin displays, colorful leaves and some very imaginative displays.  Here are a couple of the photos I took on Main Street.
fall harvest decorated sidewalk

haybale with pumpkins and witches feet



Halloween Decorations and Activities

Halloween is a fun time on Main Street.  There are a variety of activities for all ages and the shopkeepers have some wonderful displays for the holiday.
white stud decorated pumpkinwhite pumpkins framing a door frame



haunted history trail sign in St Charles, MO

You can click on the QR code in the above photo to find out about the Legends & Lanterns tours that take place on Main Street.

Simpsons scarecrow Halloween decor

hay-stuffed skeleton scarecrows sitting on haybales
These fun characters are motion activated and you can hear them talk and sing when you pass by.  Below you see some of the decorations around the gazebo, which is a gathering place in the middle of Main Street.

outdoor Halloween decor

orange skeleton on a tree trunk


The Riverfront Area

A block down from Main Street is the Missouri river.  This area has a wonderful park that provides some great trails and walks along the river.  There is an old train station, and you can see some train cars on the tracks.
frontier entrance park sign

There is a lot of history that took place in this area including a departure spot for Lewis & Clark.
ornamental grass

trees with yellow leaves

Halloween outdoor decorations


Other Articles about St Charles

Here are four other articles I have written about the area.  The first is about the era when St. Charles was the first capitol of Missouri. Visit Missouri-First Capitol  .  Another article was written on the riverfront area. Frontier Park

A favorite time in St Charles is during the Christmas season.  Here is an article on that. Christmas in St Charles

Several years ago I went on the Worldwide PhotoWalk in St. Charles.  Here is an article I wrote. Worldwide PhotoWalk



Read More about St Charles




Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Thursday, November 11, 2021

Autumn Colors in Missouri 2021

 

fall leaves on the tree photo by mbgphoto
Fall Color November 2021

I love the beautiful colors of Autumn.  It is my favorite time of the year and after the long hot summer I am always looking forward to the cool, crisp days of Autumn.  This year the hot days of summer seemed to never stop, in fact they carried on well into September.  This delayed the beautiful colors of Autumn to well into October and in my area the peak didn't come till the first week in November.

Peak Colors in Missouri

In order to discover what is normal for peak colors in Missouri I went online and read the Missouri Conservation website.  
That site lists the normal time for Autumn colors beginning about the middle of September, with the peak being by mid October.  But as you can see in the photo below at my home in the St. Louis Missouri area the changing colors were only beginning at the time of the Autumnal Equinox on September 22.

autumn sky photo by mbgphoto
View from my Deck

Here is a photo from a walk in the park in mid September when the leaves are getting a tinge of color.

sidewalk bordered by fall leaves photo by mbgphoto
September

The Missouri Conservation website states that predicting fall color in Missouri can be difficult.  Missouri is blessed with a large variety of bushes, shrubs and trees which change colors at different rates.  The entire autumn color season will last from 4-6 weeks and where the best colors are best will change according to what varieties of foliage is in a particular area.  The changing of colors in Missouri start in the northern part of the state and progress southward.  The weather plays a big part in when the colors change.  This year we had 90 degree temperatures into September and high 80's into October.  This set records for one of the warmest falls on record.  These temperatures delayed the fall colors.

What Makes Leaves Change Color

For a review on what makes leaves change color I looked online for some basic information.  I found out that leaves are green because of chlorophyll production and lots of chlorophyll produces green color and mask any colors underneath.  Light regulates chlorophyll production so the shorter days of Autumn produce less light and thus less chlorophyll production.  The photo below shows a tree in my front yard as the days are getting shorter and the green is disappearing.

fall leaves starting to change colors photo by mbgphoto


Peak Colors for 2021

Today is November 5th and the colors are really starting to pop.  The television newscasters last night said that the next week will be our peak colors.  Here are a few photos I took yesterday.   I love the bright colors.

yellow and orange fall leaves in the tree

red fall leaves on the tree photo by mbgphoto

close up of fall leaves photo by mbgphoto


November 10th Update

Here is an update on the colors from my front porch on November 10th.  The colors are certainly vibrant now.
fall trees photo by mbgphoto

fall trees photo by mbgphoto


Zazzle Products from My Autumn Photos

Autumn  photos are great for cards, mugs and other products I make on Zazzle.




Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Thursday, November 14, 2019

Visit Missouri-Explore St. Louis Review of Fall Photography in Forest Park

Forest Park Bandstand in St. Louis photo by mbgphoto

Fall is my favorite season of the year.  I love to photograph the beautiful colors of the season. On this page I will review Forest Park in St. Louis through my Fall photography.


When will Fall Colors Peak


It is always difficult to predict when colors will be at their peak and this year was no different.  All October I waited and watched for the colors to change.  Oh there were glimpses of color here and there but not the outstanding colors that you think of when Autumn arrives.  I read that you don't get the really good colors until after the first hard freeze.  Well last week we got temperatures down in the 20's several nights so I knew it was time.  On November 1st I headed to Forest Park with my husband and some friends and was delighted with the amazing display of colors.  The day was clear and crisp and great for capturing the beauty of Fall.

A Favorite Venue for Fall Photography


Forest Park in St. Louis is a venue I have written about before, it is one of my favorite places to visit.  Here is a link to more information on Forest Park from one of my previous posts. Forest Park and Jewel Box.  In this post I will highlight fall colors around the History Museum, the Art Museum and the Bandstand area by the Muny.


Art Hill and the Art Museum


Our first stop in Forest Park was at the base of Art Hill.  This hill extends down from the Art Museum and in the winter it is a favorite place for kids of all ages to sleigh ride down the hill.  On this beautiful fall day it was the perfect place to capture a photo of the Art Museum and the bright red trees that were on either side.

Art Museum in St. Louis photo by mbgphoto

This photo was taken when the sun was high in the sky so the glare takes out the details of the building.  We decided to head to the History Museum and continue my photography later in the day when the sun was lower in the sky.  Here are two photos taken a couple of hours later.  The first is a statue of St.  Louis which overlooks Art Hill and the scene of the 1904 World's Fair.

Statue of St. Louis that Overlooks Art Hill photo by mbgphoto

I took the next photo from the parking lot of the Art Museum, looking down on Art Hill.

Forest Park in St. Louis photo by mbgphoto


Muny Area



The next area that I photographed is the area in front of St. Louis's outdoor theatre, commonly called The Muny.  This area has a bandstand on a little island.  The bandstand was built in 1924 to replace the original wood bandstand built in 1876.  This used to be a popular place for musical entertainment in the summer months.  The trees surrounding the water were a brilliant red color and I was able to capture some beautiful photos. 

bandstand in forest park photo by mbgphoto

Forest Park Bandstand photo by mbgphoto

Forest Park in the Fall photo by mbgphoto

History Museum


My original purpose to go to Forest Park was to take in the display of Pulitzer Prize winning photographs that were on display at the History Museum.  This was a wonderful display and we spent a couple of hours enjoying the photos.  We had planned to go on a Wednesday but had to cancel.  I am so glad we changed it to Friday because first of all Wednesday was a very rainy day and secondly Friday was the perfect day to photograph the changing fall landscape.  The photos below are of the museum and one of my cousins leaving the History Museum.

History Museum in St. Louis photo by mbgphoto

Forest Park photo by mbgphoto



The Camera I used for this Outing


One of my favorite camera's is my Sony A6300 mirrorless camera.  I wrote about it in the following post. Sony a6300.  I used a wide angle zoom lems with 16mm to 50 mm. 

   
                                                     


Zazzle Card from my Photos

 




Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


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