Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Cordgrass


This morning we got up early and drove the ten miles from Portland to Scarborough Marsh, which was saturated with warm hues from the golden saltmarsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), the blazing red staghorn sumac leaves (Rhus typhina), and the occasional orange crown of a sugar maple (Acer saccharum). The air, in contrast to the palette, was maybe the coldest it's been so far this fall.
New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) and northern bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) ...I think.
That's supposed to be a song sparrow. There were also a lot of Nelson's sparrows around, sporadically showing their orangey yellow faces above the marsh grass.