Autumn’s Last Gasp 11-14-2026

I was out cleaning up the yard here in Torrington, raking up what felt like the very last piles of the season. By this point in the month, virtually every tree around our property has gone completely bare, leaving the woods behind the house looking gray and empty. Right along the tree line, I stopped when I spotted this young maple sapling still holding on.

While the canopy above had already given up, this single branch had an entire seasonal gradient running along its leaves. Deep green sat up top, shifting straight into pale lime, bright yellow, and warm orange-red near the bottom tips. The dark, muted trunks in the soft-focus background gave the colors plenty of separation, letting the branch stand out without fighting for attention. Soft overcast daylight kept the highlights clean and even across each surface, showing off the veins without harsh glare or blown-out spots. It was a neat little reminder of how fall lingers in odd spots, even when winter is basically knocking on the door.