Sunny Gingko

Sunny Gingko

Lonely gingko tree, sunbathing before the fall.

Photographed in Madison, Wisconsin.

Mist Shrouded Oak Savanna

Row of Oaks in Owen Conservation Park in Madison, Wisconsin

Mist Shrouded Oak Savanna

Moody. A contemplative space.

Black oaks, their looming figures stark against the swirling fog. Prairie grasses, nipped by frost, browned, brittle, curl at the feet of the giant trees.

An oak savanna.

“A savanna is generally defined as a plant community where trees are a component but where their density is ‘…so low that it allows grasses and other herbaceous vegetation to become the actual dominants of the community.'” (Curtis, The Vegetation of Wisconsin).

Photographed at Owen Conservation Park in Madison, Wisconsin.

Maple Leaves

Maple Leaves © 2010 Bo Mackison

Frost in the mornings now. Every morning the outside world has a frosty coating. Tiny crystals shimmer when the sunlight catches them just so. There are whisperings (or mutterings, take your pick) of snow in the forecast. I find this so hard to believe.Wintry weather here so soon?

Wasn’t it just last weekend that I was standing in my art booth, sweltering in the humidity, wondering how many 90˚ days in a row we’d had in Wisconsin?

A Walk in the Woods – Owen Conservation Park in Color

A Walk in the Woods © 2010 Bo Mackison

I think of this time of autumn — after most of the leaves have fallen, before the first snow falls — as a dull, colorless time of the year. This photograph proves me incorrect. Blue skies, a bit of yellow and green still on the bushes, and red fallen leaves mixed amongst the brown. Color all around. Just for the looking.

Photographed in Owen Conservation Park, Madison Wisconsin.

Frosted Seedhead – Morning in Owen Conservation Park

Seedheads with Bokeh at Owen Conservation Park in Madison, Wisconsin

Frosted Seedheads © 2010 Bo Mackison

Another photo from early morning in Wisconsin. Frost and mist give an extra bit of mood to a field of prairie flower seed heads.

Photographed at Owen Conservation Park in Madison, Wisconsin.