ƒ/1.68 • 1/867 • 6.9mm • ISO24
October 12, 2026
Sugar on the Blue
A sudden blaze against the chill,
Too bright for quiet wood to hold;
The crown ignites upon the hill
In sweet confection, green and gold.
Like spun molasses, amber, lime,
It drinks the morning’s vaulted light;
A brief and reckless peak of time
Before the branches brave the night.
The blue recedes to let it burn,
A cobalt floor beneath the crown;
A brilliant crest at autumn’s turn,
Before the canopy comes down.
Looking straight up into the morning light, the maple canopy looks almost sweet enough to eat—bright tangerine, hot amber, and lime greens blazing against deep autumn blue. These high-key peak days never last long in the foothills, but when the sun catches the crown just right, the whole tree feels lit from within.
Field Notes: Handheld morning capture of the sugar maple crown, framed against open sky with the blue luminance pulled down to let the glowing autumn foliage carry the contrast.