FIELDS OF GOLDENROD brighten the landscape—edging roadways, filling fields, erupting seemingly everywhere as summer slips ever closer to autumn in Minnesota.
A walk through River Bend Nature Center reveals hues of brown, orange, red and yellow. In leaves changing color. In fading flowers.
In mature milkweeds and drying prairie grasses.
In butterflies galore.
Days carry a visual impression of autumn. But also a feel of autumn. There’s a sense of urgency, of the need to be outdoors as much as possible.
Autumn marks my favorite of Minnesota’s seasons. So I carry my camera through Faribault’s sprawling nature center to take it all in.
The places marked by man with words of adoration.
The trails that trail through the woods.
And always the path cut through the prairie, where I imagine settlers of long ago crossing Minnesota Territory in covered wagons or slicing plow blades through sod or simply journeying westward into dreams.
These are my thoughts within this land set aside to preserve today for the dreamers of tomorrow.
© Copyright 2019 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
It definitely looks like fall in these pictures. It’s coming, isn’t it? Time for pumpkins and cornstalks and pumpkin spice lattes. 🙂
When I was out and about yesterday, I noticed how much the trees are changing color. One had almost lost all its leaves already. This is way too early for color and leaves falling.
Loved the photos — they really took me back to MN in Sept. Agree, there is something about the prairie that conjures up the pioneers crossing the land in covered wagons.
Thank you, Bernadette. I’m always happy to take you back to your native Minnesota.
The goldenrod is especially beautiful this year I think. Fun to get to Riverbend through your photos. Thanks.
I wondered if I was imagining it or whether there really is more goldenrod this year than other years.
I’ve always admired the photo’s you’ve taken at Riverbend. Such a beautiful setting.
Thank you, Jackie.
Beautiful pictures Audrey! I can’t imagine the back breaking work the first settlers did to build the heartland into what it is today.
I know. It’s really amazing how hard those pioneers worked to make a new home on the prairie.