Even this year it looks like I won't be able to make a three/four days journey for the peak of foliage. So, for the fourth time in a month I'm having a daily drive to reach the Alps. In fact, even though I've plenty of mountains near home, they don't offer the spectacular explosion of colours as their elder sisters do. Also, today I'm giving myself the chance to explore the southern portion of the Marguareis Park, at the border with France, but on the italian side of the Alps.

The deep tiny canyons that are almost everywhere along the alpine arc create the conditions for chiaroscuro effects in full daylight, without having to wait for the late hours of the afternoon.

A curious phenomenon that I've never seen before in this season is the swarming of ants (I suppose) that are filling the canyon, with a backlighting that makes them look like a sort of a delicate snowfall.

Some trees have already lost all, or almost all the foliage; their naked white branches still contribute to the imagery by creating patterns.

But fall is also a matter of flowers... even though they are hard to find. Crocus ligusticus is a wild variation of saffron (that cannot be eaten, being toxic) blooming from late summer to mid fall, in the mountains of my region and southern France.