Leaves in colors from bright gold to deep mahogany; ornamental grasses in browns, yellows, and oranges; a perfect day.
All these photographs in Mellon Park were taken with a Kodak Retinette, whose Schneider-Kreuznach lens and Compur-Rapid shutter make it a fine choice for a light, compact 35-mm camera. It has no rangefinder, which has the salutary effect of forcing the photographer to think clearly about focus and depth of field.
A wrought-iron fence and gate in Mellon Park, surrounded by the rich and subtle colors of early November.
One of the small delights of city life is the weeds. In the country, we take weeds for granted. But in the city, weeds are often garden escapes that flourish in unlikely places. Here are three urban weeds from half a block of the same street:
A morning glory growing from a crack in the sidewalk. This is actually a native wildflower, but often grown in gardens around here.
A patch of alyssum growing along the edge of the sidewalk.
Red snapdragons dangling from a low retaining wall.
Rosa multiflora (it has no common name except “multiflora rose” and some nicknames too impolite to repeat here) is a noxious and invasive weed that can take over whole hillsides with its thick, rambling, thorny shoots. In June, it’s also one of our most beautiful flowers, covering itself with clusters of white roses and filling the air with rose perfume.
Here are two versions of a Rosa multiflora picture that will make a splendid desktop wallpaper for your computer. Nothing is more restful, or more conducive to productive work, than a view of green leaves and white flowers. Click to enlarge; right-click to download the full-size version.
The wide-screen version is for typical wide-screen screen resolutions of 1680 by 1050 or smaller.
The standard version is for screen resolutions of 1280 by 1024 or smaller.
Stream valleys with precipitous slopes—too precipitous even for Pittsburghers to build on—cut through the city and suburbs everywhere. In the spring, wild woodland flowers take advantage of the last few days before the leaves come out and the shade closes in. These flowers all grew within a few yards of each other in the Squaw Run valley.
Trillium grandiflorum, Large-Flowered Trillium
Mertensia virginica, Virginia Bluebells
Claytonia virginica, Spring Beauty
Phlox divaricata, Blue Phlox
Trillium erectum, Wake-Robin (white form)
[In an earlier version of this article, this was misidentified as Trillium cernuum.]
Tiarellia cordifolia, Foamflower
Viola pallens, Northern White Violet
Viola pennsylvanica, Smooth Yellow Violet
The trees in the old arboretum are leafing out, the cherries and the violets are blooming, and the ducks in Lake Elizabeth are fat and happy.
Snow falls on a row of houses typical of Pittsburgh streetcar neighborhoods of the early 20th century (in this case, Beechview, where the streetcars have been running on the street for more than a century). One of the distinctive features of Pittsburgh domestic architecture is the surprising variety of brick colors.
Today’s snow in black and white, as it fell on a clot of trees in a little stream valley in Mount Lebanon.
Snow was falling early this morning, and it kept up all through the day. These are some scenes from the woods of Mount Lebanon, just south of Pittsburgh.
After the leaves have fallen, the bright red twigs of the red-twig dogwood make an unexpected flash of color in the outdoor gardens of Phipps Conservatory. In the background, out of focus, is the Cathedral of Learning.
