LIFE IN NEW JERSEY: What makes Fall in New Jersey my favourite season? It’s not the festivals or the food or the weather.
All of these are pretty fantastic but there’s something extra special about Fall.
It’s the rich and vibrant colours that wow you at every turn. You would think I’d get sick of this – every year it’s pumpkins and mums and pretty leaves.
No, I could never tire of these. Not ever.
There are so many brilliant hues – oranges, yellows, reds and earthy browns, and a hundred shades in between. And then there’s the flowers. In Australia, we don’t really have many flowers to speak of in Autumn. Certainly, it’s not a time I associate with knock-out colours. Here it’s different. There’s a huge variety of mums (yes these are flowers) but lots of other weird and wonderful plants that I am still learning the names of.
If you’ve ever seen the first Stuart Little film or Edward Scissorhands, you may remember how they both use extremely vibrant colours to create a scene mood. Well it may sound like I’m exaggerating but the Fall season in New Jersey this year has been just as vibrant as a scene out of these movies.
One of the most amazing things is how the colours are so striking when different shades are grouped together such as yellows, reds and greens. Even within one tree, you can get a range of hues that turn at different times.
Vivid contrasts can be seen everywhere in New Jersey in seasonal displays of pumpkins, squashes and corn sheaves that are featured in many shop doorways, churches and home front porches. Add to these the vivid images of Halloween decorations and you have yourself a brilliant palette that is captivating and awe-inspiring. It is hard not to want to photograph every street in the town.
With so many different types of trees here, the changes in foliage are usually drawn out over several weeks, with trees changing shade at different times. Surprisingly this year, the changes have been synchronized much more than normal it seems, creating these beautiful bursts that surround you. Although these photos don’t do the real-life colours full justice, I hope you get a sense of why I love this season!
A maple in our front yard in Montclair New Jersey. Photo © ExpatAussieInNJ
The view from our driveway. Photo © ExpatAussieInNJ
Autumn colours reflect in the Foote Pond’s waters. Photo © ExpatAussieInNJ
Golden hues in the arbor over this Montclair house. Photo © ExpatAussieInNJ
A bit of flower magic here with the one mums plant showing both yellow and orange flowers at the same time. Photo © ExpatAussieInNJ
Next to the mums are some weird cabbage look-a-like plants called kale. Very colourful but I don’t think you eat them. Don’t ask me what the vivid blue seaweed looking thing at the back is either. Photo © ExpatAussieInNJ
A variety of weird and wonderful shapes, sizes and textures amongst this display of fall vegetables. Photo © ExpatAussieInNJ
Photo © ExpatAussieInNJ
Brookdale Park Montclair NJ. Photo © ExpatAussieInNJ
Mills Reserve in Montclair NJ. Photo © ExpatAussieInNJ
Beautiful photos!! We moved to the area at the beginning of October and have thoroughly enjoyed the brilliant display!
Thanks for the comments Melissa! It has been a superb season. I don’t whether I’m imagining it but this year seems to be much brighter than the previous falls I’ve seen. Perhaps now I have a slightly better camera, I’m appreciating it more. Certainly there’s nothing like this at home..