layers in sky & water

It was about an hour past high tide when I walked the beach at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

The sand was soft, swept free of footprints. The sky wore a pretty shade of blue and the waves showed a bit of green.

from the dike

In honor of National Wildlife Refuge Week the dike between sub-headquarters and Hellcat at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is open for walking this week.

I took advantage of a beautiful day to walk along the dike this morning.

layers

As I walked in the park on Friday I saw layers of color.

There were yellow leaves, shades of green in leaves and grasses, and rust-colored ferns.

red

Bright red berries complement small green leaves.

An image search tells me this is a variety of cotoneaster. Whatever name it wears, I like the pop of color!

mixed

Evergreen and deciduous trees present a palette of mixed color.

ocean song

Late afternoon...

Instead of heading directly home from volunteering at the visitor center of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, I headed into the refuge. It was a perfect time to walk and to listen to the sounds of the ocean.

changing

While most of the trees in the area are still wearing shades of green, patches of color are starting to emerge.

The trees standing on the edges of Berry Pond in Harold Parker State Forest show the color of autumn.

pop!

A pop of red shows on the inland side of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

Autumn approaches.

on the beach

Low tide was at a good time this morning and today is the last day without predicted rain. That meant I was pulled to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge for a walk on the beach.

The refuge was quiet, the beach used by a few people and a lot of birds. Sea gulls rested, sanderlings scurried across the sand.

autumn color

While most trees in the area are still wearing leaves of green, an occasional maple is wearing bright red.

It's an early sign of autumn approaching.