Lavender petals

I am blessed to have several Lilac trees in my backyard. Below the Lilacs, we have a run for our chickens, so the Lilacs not only provide shade for them in the summer, but also attract all sorts of insects for them to eat. I like the fragrance they provide, and the opportunity for photographs. :)

I just love the colors of Autumn. The leaves on this tree outside the high school turned a bright shade of vermilion that I couldn't resist getting a photo of.

Most of the leaves are gone from my Red Maple tree now. We had a few days of solid wind and rain and that pretty much did them all in. But this photo was taken a week beforehand and shows what beautiful color the tree has. For a few weeks each year we are treated to a glorious rosy hue splashing the walls in our living room as the sun sets behind the tree.

I think God gave us Autumn because he knew that we would need memories of brilliant color to last us through a long winter. I snapped this photo 2 weeks ago as we trekked back to our parking space after the University of Idaho Homecoming Parade. Nothing in the parade even came close to the beauty of these amber leaves.

I captured this lovely scene at the University of Idaho Arboretum a few weeks ago during a family walk. The trees hadn't quite all turned colors yet, but the one in the background shows a hint of what it looks like right now. I had to wait for the cloud cover to move a bit so the sun would highlight the tree.

The fragrance from the three lilac trees in our back yard is heady during the spring and early summer. I just love them. Our chickens love them too and enjoy scratching in the shade below looking for bugs to eat!