October 4, 2025October 3, 2025 photobyjohnbo

Lens-Artists Challenge #368—Looking Back to Lens-Artists Challenge # 106: Autumn

I watch the birds fly south across the autumn sky
And one by one they disappear
I wish that I were flying with them
Now you’re not here
– “Forever Autumn” written by Jeff Wayne, Gary Osborne, and Paul Vigrass and performed by the Moody Blues

Less than two weeks ago, summer slipped away, and autumn is upon us in the northern hemisphere. It was in those waning days of summer that I realized it was my turn to host a ‘Looking Back’ post on the Lens-Artists Schedule calendar. With autumn fully entrenched here in North Dakota, I searched the archives for a “Fall Colors” theme. In July 2020, the team hosted a series titled “Seasons.” Patti hosted the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #106: Autumn here. Thanks to Patti and the team for the idea to focus on nature’s most colorful season in this edition of “Looking Back.”

I start with one of my favorite photos of autumn colors. I was leaving home to run an early morning errand when the sun rose high enough from behind me to illuminate the trees that had been totally shaded by the clouds’ canopy moments ago. I pulled over and parked, grabbed my cell phone, and snapped the photo while leaning out my car’s driver-side window.

In 2014, we visited Minnesota’s Maplewood State Park, about an hour’s drive from Fargo. The colors weren’t quite at peak for the season, but they were close. As we walked on one of the trails, I glimpsed the hillside ablaze with gold. I composed the photo to feature the leading lines of red leaves and the trail in the foreground, drawing the viewer’s eyes toward the colorful hill in the background.

Black Hills Journey-13 — *Black Hills color*

In October 2020, we traveled through the Black Hills of South Dakota. The fall colors were at their peak, and this tree stood out as a beautiful example of nature’s fall paintbrush.

That same October, we visited Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in Wyoming. On our way home, we discovered the scenic beauty of U.S. Route 26/287. We were traveling along what we would later learn was the Wind River Canyon Scenic Byway, and were blown away by the drive. We marveled at our good fortune to be there during peak fall colors.

Hiway 218 - Sheep Creek Byway-12 — *Sheep Creek Byway*

In 2023, we visited Flaming Gorge for the third time, and on that charmed visit, we discovered the Sheep Creek Scenic Backway, a loop drive that winds through canyons, and in October, through colorful aspens and Rocky Mountain maple trees.

Sunset in the Smokies-1 — *Sunset in the Smokies*

In September, we spent time with family in the Smoky Mountains. It was too early for fall colors on this trip, but our visit in October 2018 was closer to peak colors. I always enjoy creating panoramic images with Adobe Lightroom Classic; in this case, the pano was required to put both the sunset and the autumn colors in the same image.

Now, it’s your turn to show us autumn colors. Share with us your favorite images of autumn, or if the timing is right, share some new pictures. To ensure that no one is left out, if you don’t live in an area with autumn scenes, here are a couple of examples of fall colors below. Feel free to share as “Colors of Autumn.”

Denver Botanical-14 — *Colors of Autumn*

This photo was taken in June 2017 at the Denver Botanical Garden in Colorado. These torch lilies bloom from late spring into summer. This display was part of the Denver Botanic Gardens’ curated celebration of drought-tolerant, pollinator-friendly, and climate-resilient species.

Ruddy Daggerwing Butterfly-1 — *Colors of Autumn*

While walking through an outdoor venue in Mexico, I noticed a leaf on a countertop. Then I looked again. What appeared to be a dead leaf was a beautifully camouflaged butterfly. If the butterfly were in a tree, I’d have never seen it for what it was. That delicate wing design is just one of many species of butterflies that appear to resemble dead leaves. According to the Internet, this specimen is known as a ruddy daggerwing. For those who are interested in photo metadata or other details, this gallery is curated on my Flickr site here.

Last week, our guest host, Joanna Mason, challenged us with the title “Everyone Should See This,” which brought many unique images in the responses. Next week, the Lens-Artists Challenge is hosted by Ann-Christine. Be sure to follow her blog here so you don’t miss the challenge she will publish on Saturday, October 11, at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time. To find out more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, click here.

John Steiner