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daffodil
SPRING FLOWERS IN LITCHFIELD.
A hillside display of narcissus in Northfield. The current stage is DONE.
Narcissus >

Visit WineFoodLodging.com, our new sister site, as we photograph the world, one town at a time.
Wine Food and Lodging>

Want to compare this past winter to 2010? Take a look at our Litchfield 2010 Winter Archive>

View the Fall 2010 archive.
Litchfield Fall Photo Archive>

Life in the country has its rewards and its challenges. Since we use "have a heart" relocation techniques, why not snap a picture while saying goodbye?
Mouse of the month>

lunar eclipse
The Skies of Litchfield. Find out what's up there and how to locate it.
No telescope? Check out our list of viewing events in Connecticut where the public is welcome.
The Skies of Litchfield >

View the Spring 2009 archive.
Litchfield Spring Photo Archive>

squirrel
Winter archive — 2009.
A cold Litchfield winter >

Fall Archive — the 2008 foliage.
Litchfield fall foliage >

milkweed
Summer Archive — the colors of warmth.
Litchfield summer photos >

hawk
Late Winter Archive — the dead of winter.
Litchfield late winter photos >

astronomy: pictures of aurora taken in Litchfield CT
Solar activity manifested in its most beautiful form. The aurora of 2004 photographed under dark skies in the town of Litchfield.
Aurora feature story >

Autumn in Litchfield

December 17, 2011 A fairly tranquil sunrise was an opportunity to get aloft. Hot air balloons.

December 13, 2011 Lots of frost after a night of chilly moonlight. Frost.

December 8, 2011 Sunshine following the big nor'easter, which brought more rain than snow. Morning sun on fresh snow.

December 2, 2011 With just 20 days until the winter solstice, we have only the fading impressions of autumn leaves on the sidewalk. leaf impression.

November 30, 2011 The urge for going, as November ends. Bird Migration.

November 23, 2011 Happy Thanksgiving! Pumpkins.

November 21, 2011 The place to look for colorful leaves now...is the ground, at least until the rain storm moves in. Yellow foliage.

November 18, 2011 It now takes some searching to find colorful foliage. Much of the county looks like "late November." But it's still possible. Bright autumn foliage.

November 11, 2011 It's 11/11/11, and we hope you celebrated at 11:11:11 this morning like we did! Contrary to what one might expect, winds today have brought us brighter autumn color by removing a lot of the dull brown leaves that kept holding on. So, depending on where you look, you'll see either a winter-like scene or some of the most vibrant color of the season. Bright autumn foliage.

November 9, 2011 In only a week and a half, warm temperatures have almost completely melted between one and two feet of snow. Melted snow.

November 7, 2011 A berry on the still-abundant, but melting snow.

November 4, 2011 And the occasional bright tree still offers some fall color. Litchfield fall foliage.

November 2, 2011 The occasional bright leaf continues to fall onto the snow. Litchfield fall snowstorm.

October 31, 2011 Autumn turned to winter as between one and two feet of snow fell on Litchfield County, with power outages prompting an arial survey by the governor. Litchfield fall snowstorm.

October 25, 2011 Bright colors can be found in pockets. Litchdfield foliage.

October 23, 2011 A reminder that we still haven't had a killing frost. Yellow foliage in Litchfield County.

October 21, 2011 The bright yellow that we usually expect from maple trees can be found elsewhere. Yellow foliage in Litchfield County.

October 20, 2011 A return to sunshine after yesterday's rain. Sun on foliage in Litchfield County.

October 18, 2011 A quickly-passing weak voticity maximum gave us a beautiful sunrise.

October 14, 2011 A rainy day; but sometimes the moisture seems to enhance autumn colors. Fall foliage.

October 13, 2011 Color is here. Fall foliage.

October 10, 2011 A most unusual Autumn, with well-above-normal temperatures this week and the first attractive leaf color only now beginning to show. Fall foliage.

September 27, 2011 Morning sun on a very summer-like day. Crabappla.

September 23, 2011 The Autumn equinox occurred at 5:05 AM today. Bloom.

September 16, 2011 Color -- gone wild along the side of the road. Bloom.

September 14, 2011 Ths color of the waning post-Harvest Moon warns of the cold front that will bring our first autumnal air mass. Orange moon.

September 9, 2011 Things, some quite large, float down a very swollen Housatonic River. Tree trunk in river.

September 6, 2011 More moisture this week. Moist flower.

September 2, 2011 Following the torrential rains of a tropical storm, what else would one expect? Mushroom.

Continue reading from the Summer in Litchfield archive >





	2011 Fall Foliage Update THANKSGIVING WEEKEND: It's the end of another autumn foliage season. WEEKEND OF 11.18: It's the "late November" look all over now. Other than isolated spots, the best views are when sunrise and sunset add a bit of color to the brown leaves that continue to hold on. WEEKEND OF 11.12: Particularly in the southern part of Litchfield County, there are spots where late-turning leaves have a warm, almost creamy, yellow shade. And there's color from many shrubs, so it's not over yet. Moreover, a passing cold front brought us winds on Friday that removed some of the dull brown leaves that have been holding on. Meanwhile, many areas are largely without leaves, looking like winter. Where some leaves remain colors can be particularly attractive at sunset and sunrise. (Nearby, southern Connecticut has been experiencing some of the best colors of the season, albeit in pockets.) WEEKEND OF 11.05: Everything changed with the one to two feet of snow and temperatures in the low 20s F last Saturday into Sunday. Additional hard freezes followed on Monday and Wednesday. Other than the occasional tree, colors are now largely dull, but attractive at sunset and sunrise. WEEKEND OF 10.29: A few spots look like early October with mostly green leaves, others (more) look like mid November with no leaves. It's probably best to say that this week offers pockets of bright color amidst a duller than usual background. This could be the last week that's part of the broad peak. WEEKEND OF 10.22: Sugar, Norway, and to a lesser extent Red Maples continue to suffer from browning as soon as they start to show some color. As a result, this is a duller foliage season than usual. Other species continue to provide the brightest yellows. It reminds us of autumn further south, where maples are a less important part of the fall foliage. So we expect a broad, less vivid than normal peak over the next 10 or so days. WEEKEND OF 10.15: The second and third weekends of October often bring the best leaf color in much of Litchfield County. We expect somewhat less intense color this year because of the leaves lost to early browning, but it's certainly now or never for 2011. Fortunately, beginning on Tuesday color began intensifying rapidy. By Thursday there was a lot of orange and some red to be seen. WEEKEND OF 10.08: This was the first weekend with any attractive color. Up until now there has only been yellow with brown — and unfortunately, that browning has taken away the leaves of a lot of trees that over the last few years showed wonderful color. There were scattered frosts on the mornings of 10.06 and 10.07, but so far no killing freeze. Note: these observations are centered on the town of Litchfield -- considerable variation should be expected when considering the county as a whole.







	About Us Litchfield.com is your link to life in the country. And if travel, vacation, or just a weekend drive brings you to Litchfield County Connecticut, we hope that the on-going photo essays will inspire you to find more of the beauty that those of us who live here in the northwest hills enjoy every day. Litchfield.com is supported by the ads you see in this column and by your donations. Thank you! Contact us — the old-fashioned way: Litchfield.com, POB 1111, Litchfield, CT 06759-1111.