Fall’s Final Flourish

Nov 15, 2022

By Christian Begeman

The final leaves have fallen. The songbird migration has long ended, and the waterfowl migration is now in full force. The seasons of life have given way to the cold north wind and snowflakes that have danced once or twice across our windshields already. The harvest is wrapped, and our traditional season of thanks is beginning. It is November. And really, the month of November marks the end of autumn in our part of the world rather than the official first day of winter, December 21.

Rather than succumb to the dreary days of lessening light, I think it is a good time to reflect upon nature’s last flourish of color. Late August through mid-October provides vivid colors on the prairie and surrounding hills and this year was no exception. It seems that late summer and early autumn prefer vivid blues when it comes to wildflowers. From bottle gentians to great blue lobelia, the colors of the petals seem to be drawn straight from the hues of an early evening eastern blue sky.

Butterfly season is also on full display. Monarchs from South Dakota and points north gather and then fly south to Mexico. Other beautiful species are easily spotted if you have patience. I’m a fan of the regal fritillary that rivals the monarch in vivid orange and black beauty. The regal is a tall grass specialist so keeping our remnant tall grass prairie intact and healthy is key to keeping this butterfly around. A favorite place to spot them is the Nature Conservancy’s Aurora Prairie east of Brookings.

After the late summer blues diminish, brilliant oranges, reds and yellow begin to paint the landscape. The color usually begins to turn in the higher elevations first, and then it makes its way down to the valleys and towns. These colors of autumn grace the Black Hills and Badlands in late September and can go well into October along the Missouri River hills and eastward. Besides the well-known autumn vistas of Spearfish Canyon or Sica Hollow, Palisades State Park near Garretson is a favorite place to visit. The drama of Sioux quartzite rock and canyons are beautifully accentuated by autumn hues, particularly in the late afternoon light.

November marks the end to most of nature’s colorful beauty described above, but I also find that fall sunsets seem to be the most exquisite of the year. So, I can’t really say the season of color has left us for good. It can still be found way out there on the horizon, somewhere just beyond our reach, like the promise of new life coming next spring. The cycles of the seasons are felt maybe more acutely on the Northern Plains than anywhere else on the continent, but I wouldn’t trade that for anything. Winter has subtle and harsh beauties of its own, but more importantly, the cold reminds me not to take for granted the loveliness of the seasons of warmth and life.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he's not working at Midco he is often on the road photographing South Dakota’s prettiest spots. Follow Begeman on his blog.