For the past few weeks I’ve been studying the fall foliage here in upstate NY. I noticed how trees don’t turn all at once, how they stay green for a while inside or at the bottoms, etc.
I took some photos to remind me of how things should look when I get around to the autumn part of my layout. (next year sometime)
As we move through October, the brilliant colors (particularly those near the ground) have literally exploded overnight. There is more to see each day.
Sometimes they cover vast expanses, often just small areas.
The reds, yellows and greens are now on all corners of the landscape. So are the Whites, blues and even blacks.
Whites [?]
Blues [?] [?]
Blacks [sigh]
I wonder if these are worth modeling or if I should just be quietly grateful when mid November rolls around and they disappear for another year.
Of course, in Japan, things are done differently. Back in 1964, all the political campaign displays were confined to a single fence-like structure next to the local police box. Each candidate was allotted a space approximately 12 inches wide and 16 inches high. The top would be a square, the candidate’s face, name and office for which running. The 4x12 space at the bottom was available for platform/position statements.
Since the whole works was under the watchful eye of a no-nonsense policeman, vandalism against a particular candidate’s display was almost unknown. The nicest part was that as soon as the polls closed that fence-ful of politics was peeled right back to the bare wood.
OTOH, this is the US in the present. Since the 2008 presidential campaign is already in full ‘pass the mud’ mode, don’t expect those signs to vanish in November!
I was observing the same thing to my wife the other day. I see a lot of autumn railroads where entire trees are one color or another… but the reality is they are all a spectrum of colors and, as you say, can have portions that are green. I also observed that the color came in bunches depending on light exposure and soil conditions rather then sprinkled randomly.
At the very least, I am thinking of dry brushing color on the edges to get a less homogenous look. The maples especially seem to feature a deep yellow with red highlights. The birches have a nice light yellow color but are likely to have green leaves sprinked throughout. The oaks this year have a red to brown color and turned much later then the birches and maples did.
I was also talking to my wife about setting my layout in the end of September rather then mid-October so I would have more green to offset the color. I hope to experiment with all of this on my 3x5 layout set in northern New Hampshire.
I just need to find a good way to model the leaf litter in n-scale.
I have occasionally seen a single (prototype) tree, usually standing a little apart from the rest, that has all turned at once. It stands out like a lighthouse on a dark shore!
Very observant! Most folks (especially city/desert dwellers like myself) don’t seem to realize that Fall colors are species-specific.
That’s one reason I model the time I do. OTOH, in my modeled area the predominant tree is the cedar - which is green all the time.
I talked this over with my resident horticulturist (my wife, who grew up in a logging camp!) and we came up with this UNTRIED idea:
Pulverize the thinnest parts of some very dry leaves (or, possibly, used tea leaves,) then sift them over wet mud-colored paint. The natural color will be right, and the result should look like freshly fallen
I’ve shifted my time to mid fall. To do this, I had to add many more green trees. I also find myself spraying leftover washes on the trees. It helps to tone down all of the different colors. As far as the ‘fall colors’ from the original post, I can’t stand all of the political signs. The more I’m exposed to a certain candidate, the more I despise them. Needless to say, I’m not looking forward to this upcoming years fall colors!
I think if you use some sort of grinder and put real dead leaves in them they might be small enough. They’ll have the same color and texture as real leaves.
