Lowcountry, Late Autumn

Fallen leaves

With all the extra rain that descended on the Lowcountry during the summer of 2013, I wondered whether we would get a higher degree of fall color than usual this year. I'm no botanist, but I've observed more brightly colored leaves here this month than in any other November since moving to the area more than two decades ago.

Japanese maple and palm fronds

Yellow maple leaves

When I think of autumn in the Lowcountry, I think of Spanish moss dangling from live oaks and of the marsh with its spartina grass turned the color of ready-to-harvest wheat. In the wild, scarlet Virginia creeper and the bright yellow leaves of wild muscadine garland trees and anything else they manage to climb. Dogwoods always provide a bit of color before dropping their leaves. This year I'm noticing more maples and ornamental fruit trees displaying vibrant colors. And I'm loving it.

Near creeks and rivers this is what November looks like in Mount Pleasant

A typical Lowcountry autumn scene: Live oak dripping with Spanish moss

This year trees display more vibrant leaves than usual

…but there are plenty of just plain brown leaves on the ground

Virginia creeper can be counted on to add brilliance

Primula

Primula found among the ruins of the Viking church

One morning back in March, I spied small containers of primula displayed on a plant rack in front of the nearby Trader Joe’s grocery store. The one I bought sported deep blue flowers, the hue of its petals bordering on purple. At home, after adding the primula to a circular bed under the big live oak out front, I used a digital camera to photograph the blossoms.  The petals photographed as blue, but not the proper shade of blue, not even after I changed the settings on the camera multiple times, nor after I fiddled with the color saturation on my computer.

Still missing the hint of purple

As I sat at my computer trying to get the colors right, I remembered the pale yellow primula I spotted on an April day several years ago on the Orkney island of Egilsay. I found the primula growing wild among the ruins of the round-towered Viking church where, according to some accounts, Saint Magnus was brutally murdered in 1117.

In March when I bought the primrose, the sunshine, the chill in the air, and the wind made me feel as though I were back on Egilsay, although here in coastal South Carolina wind is less pervasive.

Primroses growing in the wild on Skye

Last month I traveled to Scotland again. This time it was near Elgol on the Isle of Skye that I came across the pale yellow primula growing in the wild.  This time the day was overcast. This time the primrose climbed hills.