Crow’s Nest Preserve: November Light

Late fall color on oak trees under a blue sky at Crow’s Nest Preserve.

By Daniel Barringer, preserve manager.

I have always said that November brings a special light. The sun angles lower, and though peak fall foliage is past, there is a lovely peach color in the air. In the photo above, it is remarkable that the sun shining through the base of the trees reveals that the hill is not nearly as tall as we think—the trees add a lot to the perceived height. That hill is located in Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, part of the landscape of the Hopewell Big Woods, a large protected area of national, state, and county parks as well as preserves protected by nonprofit organizations like Natural Lands.

Turning east at sunset offers another view that reminds me of the light captured in Maxfield Parrish paintings. Sunset illuminates puffy clouds low in an otherwise clear sky.

November light is also the stored energy of trees split for firewood. Most trees that fall we leave to nurture the soil and grow more trees, but some I cut up and give away as firewood. I also keep some for home.

The family pets jockey for position in front of the wood stove. I can’t imagine having a wood stove without a window in the door. We enjoy the light as much as the heat, and that glow makes the darkness of winter much easier to bear.