More Fall Colours, and Black

So much colour!

More fall leaves; these were taken about a week ago.

 Since then, many leaves have fallen, helped along by the wind and the passing of time.

Some of the trees are half bare:

Some of them are completely bare:

... bare of leaves, that is ...

One of my favourite trees is showing its beautiful gnarled bones again. It was quite nondescript during the spring and summer, but look at it now!

 
The leaves in this puddle came from the tree reflected in it:

Some of the sidewalks are covered in luxurious carpets.

Close ups of some of the brilliance:

Another puddle; another reflection:

 Another look at a plant from my last post:

A big thank you to Steve from Shadows and Light, who got me on the right track to identifying it. He suggested Virginia creeper, so I checked Wikipedia and it turns out that this is false Virginia Creeper. The difference is in their tendrils: Virginia creeper has sticky pads that allow it to attach to trees or smooth walls, while the imposter can only grow through shrubs and trees by curling around and around them, as it's doing above.

Although ... it seems to be trying to adapt to this fence as well:

And what I thought was ivy on Big Leafy Critter ...

... on closer inspection is not ivy after all, but false Virginia creeper:

... and I'm hoping to get a full-length shot now that it's turned to red. I think I'll call it "Big Red Critter". Why mess with the formula??

I was also lucky enough to see this, mixed in with the leaves:

... and joining me in the little shelter:

I've been seeing this fellow almost every day now, in a certain spot along my walking route. In fact, he's been getting underfoot and almost tripped me on one occasion.

Good thing I don't believe in bad luck caused by black cats crossing my path.

Because I've got this one at home, too, and he runs in front of me every chance he gets:

... waiting ... waiting ... waiting ... here comes Donkey now ...

Speaking of black cats, it's nearly Halloween.

I've got a spooky photograph all ready to post on Monday :)

Have a good weekend!