Overnight winds have pulled many of the leaves off the trees and beaten the vine leaves repeatedly against the bricks. Many are now on the lawn. It won’t be long before November’s bareness sets in. But not yet. There’s still time for one last look at October’s stunning palette of colours.
I’ve taken squares of colour from the photo of vines above to create a palette of hues representational of this time of year.
In art theory, red and green are considered opposite one another on the colour wheel. These are known as complementary colours.
Some of the vine reds appear purplish and there is also some yellow present. Purple and yellow is another complementary combination, as is the combination of orange and blue.
Whether it’s a light or bright blue, October’s sky contrasts beautifully with orange tinged leaves. Their warm and fiery hue manages to balance the crisp coolness of the clear blue sky, making autumn seem less chilling.
When unmuted complementary colours are placed next to each other in a painting, the line between them may appear to vibrate. Despite the mutedness of some of October’s colours, the juxtaposition of pairs of complementary leaf and sky colours in the landscape still produces a visually vibrant liveliness that exudes warmth and excitement. No wonder this time of year can inspire so much awe among onlookers.
With less than three weeks left to go before Midsummer’s Eve, spring is in full swing. The days aren’t as warm as we’d like yet, but summer is on the doorstep. The color purple caught my eye today on spruce cones along the Salt Marsh Trail. It won’t be long before their light purple color will darken and eventually change to brown. Right now, their hue contrasts nicely with the fresh light green of the new growth. 
Purple lupins are a common sight along the side of the road and in gardens in Nova Scotia. Though they’re also found in shades of pink and white, the purple ones seem to dominate.
