A Lowcountry Autumn
Fall on Wallace Creek
As Albert Camus once said, “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower”.
And when it comes to bright and vibrant fall colors, everyone’s a fan. Lowcountry leaf peepers, taking advantage of the season, head north to spots like the Great Smoky Mountains National Park where they can indulge in an autumn that is so very different from what’s happening at home. The morning air is crisp there, the mountains take on the look of a patchwork quilt, and no one can resist stopping for apple cider or a jar of apple butter at a roadside stand. Autumn in places north of us is quite the show and we’re hypnotized by the display of eye-popping reds, oranges, and yellows.
Autumn in the Lowcountry is a much quieter affair. As with most things about our Sea Island home, fall is gentle; a gradual softening of the temperature, a mellowing of the light. The progression into a Sea Island fall is so slow as to be almost imperceptible and can, without the sudden vivid flurry of foliage, easily be missed. But to those who pay attention, the subtle differences as we change seasons are just as beautiful and glorious.
It’s the time of year when we start seeing those amazingly beautiful Lowcountry sunsets. We may not have a plethora of Maples to give us bright colors in the fall, but we have color nonetheless – reds and oranges, yellows and purples in our evening skies. Look closely and you’ll see, amongst the still green oak trees, a little Virginia Creeper exhibiting its fall flourish. The marsh grass, vibrant green all summer, has taken on a golden hue.
Autumn at Yard Farm always means an “all hands on deck” effort at picking up pecans that have fallen off the 100 year old trees. As a child, I hated this interruption in my very important teenage life. After all, I had music to listen to, “Seventeen” magazines to peruse, Bonne Bell lip gloss to try out. But my parents insisted that my hands were not painted on and I was to use them to help collect pecans. Each of us took a Piggly Wiggly grocery bag and went to work, every afternoon after school, until they were all gathered. For years, I hated pecans. But now, it’s a treat beyond treats to scuffle through the fallen pecan leaves and find a freshly fallen pecan to munch on.
Yard Farm Pecans
Of course, we have our own fall traditions in Beaufort. One of my favorites is the annual Ghost Tour which consists of an evening carriage ride around the Old Point while being told ghost stories. Now let me tell you this: I am a believer in ghosts. It takes nothing for me to get completely and totally creeped out. So when the Confederate Soldier jumped out of the bushes (I think we were somewhere near Marshlands), I became convinced of two things. First, I could have a heart attack and live to tell about it. And second, I had the world’s record for the fastest attempt at exiting a moving carriage being pulled by a horse. It was awesome.
There are fall tomatoes at Dempsey Farms and pumpkins for the picking at Carteret Street United Methodist Church. There’s enough Goldenrod around for everyone to have an allergy and every weekend finds an Oyster Roast being held somewhere. And it’s not quite cool enough for hot chocolate, but sometimes we drink it anyway because hey….it’s fall. That’s what you do. (It makes no difference that it’s still 80 degrees outside.)
So enjoy autumn in the Lowcountry. Enjoy the relatively cooler weather, the subtle changes that signify fall on the Sea Islands. And, if you must go see the leaves, our lovely Lowcountry understands that what she has to offer isn’t a Beauty Pageant fall. But in her gracious southern way she sends you off with one of her simply beautiful sunsets as if to say, "Go ahead. I’ll be here when you get back”.
Virginia Creeper