• Wednesday-What'sUP October 15 - 08:00 am

Joy Ziemnick has been keeping her camera quite busy with all the fall colors around. Whether in the woods or along the roadside, the leaves have turned bright and beautiful, decorating the landscape for autumn.

Walking through the woods near her home, Joy spotted several leaves that have already fallen, still shiny and crisp looking against the bark of a tree and one even caught up on a loose piece of bark, hanging on tight. I wonder how long it will take for the fall winds to pull it from its perch?

That garter snake in Joy's fifth photo startled her as she was walking along enjoy the colorful leaves. She said she jumped and screamed, but figured the snake was surprised, too, as he raised his head at her. Joy estimated he was about 2 ½ feet long!

Joy snapped her last photo UP in Copper Harbor, with an outstanding blue sky and puffy white clouds hovering over the lighthouse and point. So much beauty, so little time to see it all!

Those are some nice pictures of the trees dressed in their most colorful attire as they enjoy their last hurrah. Alas, they look sadder and sadder every day with the inexorable onset of winter. It ain't easy being a tree.
I would think that Mr. Snake would be looking for some winter digs instead of hiding in the leaves and scaring us decent folk.

The pictures were awesome until I got to the
snake! I hate snakes!! I used to get chased with
them by some neighbor kids when I was young and I
really learned to hate them. 2 1/2 feet!!!!
WOW!!! Better you than me, Joy!

I'm with you on snakes, Deb, I hate the things!! My daddy did too, anyone who valued their life had better not even go near him with a toy snake.;>
Hey, I had no idea that little garter snakes grew that long. One got into my house one time but it was really tiny.

The first picture sure looks like "peak color" to me!! Beautiful. After peak, the trees will become naked once again soon.

Absolutely stunning pics! All of a sudden the colors
just popped out!

Beautiful Autumn! (you can have the snake, though {lol})

Perfect pix...and that snake, well he just wants to say hello.

"Take me in tender woman
Take me in, for heaven's sake
Take me in, tender woman," sighed the snake
(Al Wilson)

Amazing and colorful pictures but not so much of the Garter snake, but it is a good close up! I can tolerate Garter snakes, as a kid I used to pick them up all the time. Another lost childhood habit of mine.

I remember when I was kid, our family used to go to a cabin in the UP and one year there was a snake crawling around outside that scared my mother and sister half to death. My father grabbed a shovel and was about to smash it, when I yelled "don't kill it" and my dad stopped dead in his tracks. Well, the snake was so grateful that he walked up to me to shake my hand, but I said "Just give me some skin."
True story except for the last part...snakes can't walk. :-)

Hi
I have never had a snake come after me, child or adult. I have had issues with mice trying to get into both our cabin up north and the old house I rent downstate. More power to the nice, mice-eating, snakes of the world.

BTW. Joy, I forgot to thank you for the beautiful photos last night, got caught up on the one of the snake. It's also a neat photo.
Speaking again of which, snakes seem to be more rare than when I was growing up ~ we would see at least one or two a year in our yard...and when we did, my daddy would get the hoe and hand it to mama. That was her job.;)

Just stunning images, Joy! Thank you! The colors in the first photo are just unbelievable.

Well, you learn something new every day. Look at how that garter snake's head is flattened out, and see how thick its body looks. At first I wasn't sure it was even a garter snake. We used to catch them by the dozen when I was a kid, and I don't ever remember seeing one look like that. But, a quick search revealed that head flattening and body puffing are common behaviors for garter snakes when they're agitated. So yes, Joy, you surprised it alright. Thank you again for these great shots!

Appears to be a banner year for colours in the Keweenaw. Thanks Joy for making me feel homesick!!! :P

Excellent colors! Wish I was there...