Dappled Things of Fall

We're enjoying fall! These last couple of weeks have given us sunny, warm days and cool nights. The word "dappled" has come to mind as I see lawns dappled with dropped leaves...

Day lily leaves dappled with yellow...

Leaves themselves mottled with decay...

fruit dappled with ripeness and insect spots...

and sky dappled with clouds and green and yellow leaves.

All of that reminded me of Gerard Manley Hopkins' poem, which you can hear here:

Pied Beauty

GLORY be to God for dappled things—
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;
And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.
All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise him.

Autumn Leaves

Well, actually, autumn is not leaving, it's just on the cusp of arriving. It is, however, the time of year when we think about leaves turning color and dropping for us to rake or mulch.

Leaves here are giving us hints of color--a few flashes of yellow amid the green--that will peak in a week or two.

Otherwise, I don't give leaves much thought. Do you?

Someone who has given leaves a lot of thought is poet and author Laura Purdie Salas. Her award-winning book A Leaf Can Be..., explores the many ways leaves function in nature. Leaves can be cups, bathtubs, or lunch!

Easy for small children to understand, the book includes a glossary and information for older children (and adults!) to learn more about the science of leaves. The illustrations by Violeta Dibija of Moldova give the book a soft, fantasy look. 

Take a look at the book (I borrowed this copy from the library), and you will think of leaves in new ways year 'round!

As autumn advances, enjoy Eric Clapton's version of the classic song "Autumn Leaves"

(all photos copyright 2014, Jane Heitman Healy)