Goodbye, Red October

Your beauty warmed and brightened gray and rainy days.

What is purple?

Color
by Christina Rossetti

What is pink? a rose is pink
By a fountain's brink.
What is red? a poppy's red
In its barley bed.
What is blue? the sky is blue
Where the clouds float thro'.
What is white? a swan is white
Sailing in the light.
What is yellow? pears are yellow,
Rich and ripe and mellow.
What is green? the grass is green,
With small flowers between.
What is violet? clouds are violet
In the summer twilight.
What is orange? Why, an orange,
Just an orange!

(Source)

Viola cornuta Sorbet (TM) Antique Shades

What is purple? why, a viola,
Not just a viola,
But my favourite viola!

I'd love to see images of your favourite pansies and violas (or other cool season flowers). Please leave a link to your blog or Flickr page in the comments.

A big pile of leaves

Sometimes it's good and necessary to take a break from thinking about the overwhelming environmental and economic crises and enjoy the gifts of autumn for a moment or two.

Fall-ing

Friday, October 3rd -- Yellow, gold and brown leaves flutter and drift to the ground with the rain.  October on the We{s}t Coast.

Dahlias in October

A red dahlia glowing brightly, a couple of blocks beyond my balcony:

Poppies in October
by Sylvia Plath

Even the sun-clouds this morning cannot manage such skirts.
Nor the woman in the ambulance
Whose red heart blooms through her coat so astoundingly——

A gift, a love gift
Utterly unasked for
By a sky

Palely and flamily
Igniting its carbon monoxides, by eyes
Dulled to a halt under bowlers.

O my God, what am I
That these late mouths should cry open
In a forest of frost, in a dawn of cornflowers.

Source: Poetry Foundation