The last couple of days have brought some welcome autumn rain. It hasn’t been very heavy, but it’s been steady. The skies are overcast, which means beautiful soft light for photography. I grabbed my camera and headed out.

These photos were all taken in my back  yard. There was not much color to see, but there was some. I just had to hunt for it. A small cedar elm (Ulmus crassifolia) caught my attention. The leaves are mostly green, but some have started turning; mostly to brown and yellows. Very subdued color, but color nonetheless. I think it’s beautiful.

The leaves are also wet from the rain, so they’re a bit shiny.

Cedar elms are a native and very common in the area. They’re deciduous and will soon be bare. They grow fairly straight to 50 or 60 feet. We have tall ones in our yard, but this is a young one. It’s only about 6 feet tall.

Cedar Elm Leaves

I was looking up and around for color and almost missed the beauty at my feet. My boots and bottom of my pants’ legs were soaked from walking in the tall, wet grass. I looked down and was rewarded with a view of tiny, glass beads!

The slow, steady rain, which some might call a drizzle, allows for wonderful dew-like drops to collect on everything. They’re not dew, since that condenses out of the air and doesn’t fall from the sky. Heavier raindrops would shake whatever they landed on and wouldn’t accumulate like this.

Dew on Grass

This bright red / purple prickly pear (Opuntia) fruit definitely got my attention. There aren’t many left at this time of year. This one looks quite ripe and something, probably a deer, but perhaps a smaller mammal, has eaten the top. It’s now a cup and is holding rain water.

The fruit are also known as tuna and are edible and can be made into jams, jellies, wines, and pies. I’ll have to try it someday.

Prickly Pear