Spectacular Reds

I dedicate this final page of the essay to all of the many splendid red trees I saw during this fall trip, many of which I did not have time to stop to photograph but enjoyed none the less as I passed by. Of the numerous ones I did photograph, only a very few have been included in this essay. Not that red trees have been lacking in its previous pages! On the contrary, as I’m sure you’ll agree. But I had so many more to share — the sun and the colours coïncided so much more frequently this fall than in recent years — that it seems fitting to share more of the bounty I captured. I’m not going to offer many words and will mostly let the trees speak for themselves. My brief comments follow each photo.

First Prize Red Tree along the Rosedale Road
[#1] Photo 164 of 173: First Prize Red Tree along the Rosedale Road
Taken 2011 October 16 in Rosedale from the Rosedale Road
4 km (2.5 mi) from its southeastern end on the Whycocomagh Road in Kewstoke
GPS 46°00.029'N 61°16.778'W

I have awarded this year’s first prize (a red ribbon, of course) to the lovely tree along the Rosedale Road seen in photo #1, gorgeous in the afternoon sun of my last Sunday on the island. Its vivid reds give this photo a brilliance and special glow that are simply spectacular.

Red Tree along the Whycocomagh Road
[#2] Photo 165 of 173: Red Tree along the Whycocomagh Road
Taken 2011 October 12 from the Whycocomagh Road
2.6 km (1.6 mi) from its eastern end on Highway 252 in Churchview
GPS 45°59.003'N 61°10.207'W

The trees above the guardrails at the edge of the Whycocomagh Road above the Indian River are known for their spectacular colours: photos from there have nearly invariably appeared in my previous fall colours photo essays. Here is a gorgeous one against an equally gorgeous blue sky for this year’s essay. By the way, a word to the Virginia Creeper I saw along the guardrails in the shade nearby: keep up the lovely work — next year, I will make a special effort to get you in the sun!

Red Tree along the Rosedale Road
[#3] Photo 166 of 173: Red Tree along the Rosedale Road
Taken 2011 October 16 in Kewstoke from the Rosedale Road
1585 m (0.3 mi) from its southeastern end on the Whycocomagh Road
GPS 45°59.018'N 61°14.711'W

I had to walk back uphill from where I stopped to capture this one, but it was well worth it! What a beauty!

Red/Gold Tree along the Upper Glencoe Road
[#4] Photo 167 of 173: Red/Gold Tree along the Upper Glencoe Road
Taken 2011 October 19 in Glencoe Mills from the Upper Glencoe Road
2.3 km (1.4 mi) northwest of the four corners in Glencoe Mills by the Glencoe Mills Parish Hall
GPS 45°58.574'N 61°20.234'W

Even without the benefit of sunlight, this lovely red/gold mix was so stunning I just had to stop to photograph it on my final backcountry trip of this year as I was starting home. No, that is not sunlight on the leaves: it is the brilliance of the leaves themselves!

Red/Gold Tree along the Rosedale Road
[#5] Photo 168 of 173: Red/Gold Tree along the Rosedale Road
Taken 2011 October 16 in Rosedale from the Rosedale Road
4.2 km (2.6 mi) from its southeastern end on the Whycocomagh Road in Kewstoke
GPS 46°00.059'N 61°16.849'W
Another very pretty red/gold mixture from along the Rosedale Road, just east of its junction with the MacLellan Road in Rosedale. The golds rather overpower the reds, but they make a brilliant pairing for sure!
Red Tree along the Whycocomagh Road
[#6] Photo 169 of 173: Red Tree along the Whycocomagh Road
Taken 2011 October 15 in Dunakin from the Whycocomagh Road
1.1 km (0.7 mi) west of the bridge over Kewstoke Brook
GPS 45°58.296'N 61°15.118'W

This one was basking in the sun on the side of the mountain as one descends the Whycocomagh Road to the bridge over the Kewstoke Brook, smiling in the sun. I selected it for this essay because it sports a considerable variety of different reds all at once, some deep, some light, and all shades in between.

Mountain Ash Tree along the Lewis Mountain Road
[#7] Photo 170 of 173: Mountain Ash Tree along the Lewis Mountain Road
Taken 2011 October 18 in Lewis Mountain from the Lewis Mountain Road
5.5 km (3.4 mi) from its southeastern end on the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 105)
GPS 46°01.331'N 61°03.166'W

Seen during the Lewis Mountain hike, this beautiful mountain ash tree, without any leaves left, still held on to all of its berries, a winter feast for the birds.

Red Tree along the Northeast Mabou Road
[#8] Photo 171 of 173: Red Tree along the Northeast Mabou Road
Taken 2011 October 19 in Northeast Mabou from the Northeast Mabou Road
about 75 m (250 ft) northeast of its junction with the Mabou Harbour Road
GPS 46°05.115'N 61°24.489'W

Another beautiful red tree shining brightly with no sunlight to help it along; what a glory it would be were it to be lit up!

Red Tree along the Northeast Mabou Road
[#9] Photo 172 of 173: Red Tree along the Northeast Mabou Road
Taken 2011 October 19 in Northeast Mabou from the Northeast Mabou Road
about 75 m (250 ft) northeast of its junction with the Mabou Harbour Road
GPS 46°05.115'N 61°24.489'W

And yet another from the Northeast Mabou Road; what a glorious stand of trees this red one belongs to: it is almost as bright as if it had the benefit of sunlight.

Burning Bush on Rocky Ridge
[#10] Photo 173 of 173: Burning Bush on Rocky Ridge
Taken 2011 October 17 from the Rocky Ridge Road in friends’ gardens
GPS 46°02.254'N 61°28.922'W

I noticed burning bushes in full bloom all over Cape Breton during Celtic Colours, but none was more beautiful than this lovely one. Its red is different from the reds of maples, veering close to magenta, but oh how lovely to look at!

With this final photo, this very long photo essay has come to its end. I hope I have conveyed something of the flavour of the Celtic Colours Inter­na­tional Festival while also showing some of the glories of the landscape and of the vegetation in this most beautiful of islands. I invite you to join me in Cape Breton next year for Celtic Colours, when there will surely be some more great music and marvellous colours and, let us also hope, lots of sun to enjoy them and the beauty arrayed everywhere one goes.