ImpressionisticFallen leaves floating on the surface of the Lamprey River, their movement captured with a long exposure, combine with reflections of autumn color along the shoreline to create an impressionistic scene.

Near Durham, New Hampshire Foliage season has come and gone in many areas. High elevations in the Intermountain West said goodbye to the leaves nearly a month ago; the Kancamagus Pass in New Hampshire was blanketed with snow last week.

Winter is on the way.

In the meantime, though, there is a period of transition: not quite time yet for serious cold and snow but well past the golden days of early autumn.

I don't expect to be back in Grand Teton National Park until mid-December. The annual elk reduction begins this Saturday, during which visitors are advised to wear bright colors. Never completely confident about how visible I may or may not be I prefer to wait until the hunt is over.

I'm using the transition time to scout Eastern Idaho for scenes within relatively easy reach that might look good when snow is falling. Proximity is a plus because winter driving is a white-knuckle proposition here in the wild, wild west. For whatever reason, keeping the roads clear during and/or after snowstorms isn't high on the priority list. 

Once upon a time a big-city mayor lost his re-election bid in large part because the public felt he hadn't done a good job getting the streets cleared during a blizzard (my home city: Chicago). True story. I suspect no such fate would have befallen him had this occurred in any one of countless municipalities across Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. Plows? Who needs 'em? Let it snow!

I digress. 

Isn't it interesting how some of the most magical things in nature are fleeting? Flowering trees and shrubs in the spring; wildflowers as they come and go; the lacy white aftermath of a snow or ice storm; fog; the colors of autumn. Here and gone before you know it.

Perhaps it's because they are so short-lived that events such as these are even more treasured. 

As the last of the leaves flutter to the ground and the landscape transitions from a cacophony of color to monochromatic stillness, we bid the fiery foliage adieu. 

What a show it was. Magnificent, as always.

Raindrops Keep FallingSieur de Monts
Acadia National Park, Maine

Tug of WarSpectacular burning bush (Euonymus alatus) in all of its autumn glory, seemingly not wanting to be held back by the fence desperately attempting to stand its ground.

Mount Desert Island
Somesville, Maine

Essence of AutumnAbstract rendering of brilliant foliage in the Hiawatha National Forest

Michigan's Upper Peninsula