As mentioned earlier, Autumn is the start of an almost year-long rainy season in Vancouver. I arrived in late summer and enjoyed a month of sunshine. Gradually, the passing rain grew into days.
Last week, we had rain for consecutive days. I remembered having to walk through the cold rain after work, near midnight and getting wet despite my umbrella. It was election day and also one of the rainiest day of the year.
Immediately after that, sunshine burst onto the land by the sea. According to the weather report, we’re getting a rare, long period of sunshine for about 2 weeks. Even then, it was enough to light up the autumn colours.
Like this fiery red tree I found on my stroll to the bus stop.
In all honesty, it is real tough to see Fall colours in Vancouver.
First, the fauna is dominated by evergreens. This was most obvious as I stand at the junction of the road leading to the Second Narrows Bridge, on my way to the bus stop, looking at the mountains rising in North Vancouver across the Burrard Inlet (a.k.a “river”).
The evergreen covered the slopes of the mountains, where my school is located. Because of them, the mountain sides did not turn yellow or red. Neither will it become bare during Winter.
Secondly, Vancouver is always rainy during Autumn. About 2 weeks into the official Fall period, I noticed the leaves changing colours. However, the cloudy skies made the scene gloomy. Even good old Snapseed could not save those scenes. (I will put up another post of the gloomy Fall some day)
Thirdly, the coloured leaves succumbed to the battering of the constant rain quickly. One day I see a tree turned colour, the next morning, it was bare.
The colours I caught yesterday were mostly from the trees that turned colour red, coinciding with the pocket of sunshine.
It’s also amazing how the skies cleared so well so fast after consecutive days of rain.
The jewel blue peeked through the crowns of trees and the rooftops of my school, contrasting against the reds and yellows of the Fall.
As mentioned, Capilano University is set in the mountainside of North Vancouver, which was itself covered in evergreen (I shall try to find out what trees they were). We don’t enjoy a sea of red and yellow like UBC or SFU. Yet the pockets of red accentuate the mellowed greens of the fir trees.
I do hope the colours stay that way 🙂
However, such is the force of nature. We have to enjoy the view while it lasts, because we never know if we get to see the same scenery the next year.
Till then, sing while you can!
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