These photos were taken about a week ago along Thompson River in northwest Montana and are the last of the best of this season’s fall colors. It has rained ever since, the larch have lost most of their golden needles and the cottonwoods have shed a large part of their leaves. The rain is now providing a good drink for the trees before the ground freezes and they enter the desert-like conditions (from their perspective) of winter.
Montana Outdoors 
And now your trees look similar in color to our trees in northern New England. It’s beginning to look a lot like November!
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Comment by lmachayes — November 1, 2018 @ 8:11 pm
It is. Soon the predominate color of the forests will be green again and then white. Time is passing rapidly this year.
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Comment by montucky — November 1, 2018 @ 8:16 pm
I really have had the sense of time passing more rapidly this year. It’s as though whole chunks of the seasons have disappeared. I know that part of it’s that we had such terrible heat for a while, and then a full month of rain. There wasn’t as much getting out and about as usual. That’s one reason I’m so glad you had this beautiful transitional time. It’s been wonderful to see the photos. I’m hoping that our November will turn out to be October-ish. We’ll see.
I know others have asked you this, but I can’t remember what you said. What kind of fish are in the river? I assume there must be some, and that they must be good table fare.
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Comment by shoreacres — November 1, 2018 @ 9:20 pm
I’m hoping for a nice November too, but I suspect snow will play a big part in it this year. I see the snow line creeping down the mountainsides already and it’s supposed to reach the valley elevations next week.
I haven’t fished Thompson River for several years but I used to catch mostly Brown Trout with some Rainbows and a few Cutthroats. In early spring large Browns will swim over 17 miles up the river from where it enters the Clark Fork to spawn and in times past I would catch Browns in the two and three pound range then. One of the main tributaries to Thompson River is always full of small Brook Trout and Rainbows. Yes, good table fare indeed.
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Comment by montucky — November 1, 2018 @ 9:50 pm
The colours are beautiful. We’re heading into summer so everything will start to look very dry here before too long.
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Comment by learningtolovewinterblog — November 1, 2018 @ 10:42 pm
As you head into summer, we are heading into winter. Soon those golden leaves will be gone and the landscape will turn white: it already is at the higher elevations.
We have the same problem here with summer hiking that you have although it is probably cooler here and we can still make hikes at the higher elevations where it is cooler.
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Comment by montucky — November 2, 2018 @ 4:05 am
That looks like such a beautiful area for wildlife! Are there any in the area?
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Comment by de Wets Wild — November 1, 2018 @ 11:27 pm
Yes, that’s a good area for wildlife, and in the general area just about all of the North American big game can be found: deer, elk, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, bear (black bear and Grizzly), cougar, wolf, coyote, beaver and a large assortment of the smaller animals, although not in the numbers in which you see wildlife there.
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Comment by montucky — November 2, 2018 @ 4:13 am
Wonderful to still have wildernesses like this on the planet – we may just make it after all!
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Comment by de Wets Wild — November 2, 2018 @ 6:00 am
There still is some wilderness left, but it is constantly being threatened and chipped away at by the loggers and miners, supported by the politicians. It won’t last forever.
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Comment by montucky — November 2, 2018 @ 6:30 pm
That’s a very depressing state of affairs.
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Comment by de Wets Wild — November 3, 2018 @ 9:25 pm
It is and with nearly all of the political power held by the population centers (cities) the support for wilderness continues to decline.
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Comment by montucky — November 3, 2018 @ 10:19 pm
How fortunate that you captured these festive vistas before the rains, montucky. Your photos have a gentle way of expressing the imminence of winter.
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Comment by Jet Eliot — November 2, 2018 @ 4:12 am
Yes, it was fortunate.I have a feeling that we are about to see the start of winter in just a few weeks. It will be pretty too, but then there will not be access to many of the more remote places that I like to visit.
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Comment by montucky — November 2, 2018 @ 4:19 am
One blessing for having spent some time on the planet is that each year the ephemeral colors of autumn are appreciated more.
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Comment by centralohionature — November 2, 2018 @ 7:29 am
I had not thought of that, but it’s very true!
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Comment by montucky — November 2, 2018 @ 7:30 pm
Beautiful autumn and look at those Montana skies! 🙂
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Comment by bayphotosbydonna — November 2, 2018 @ 2:19 pm
It’s an extra pleasure to have clear skies when the fall colors are present.
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Comment by montucky — November 2, 2018 @ 7:32 pm
You’ve had some great colors this year. These shots show it beautifully!
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Comment by New Hampshire Garden Solutions — November 2, 2018 @ 3:01 pm
Yes, this year’s colors were extraordinary, and in a stretch of good weather too.
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Comment by montucky — November 2, 2018 @ 7:33 pm
Sometimes it all seems to come together.
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Comment by New Hampshire Garden Solutions — November 2, 2018 @ 7:36 pm
Don’t you love it when that happens!
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Comment by montucky — November 2, 2018 @ 7:44 pm
Yes!
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Comment by New Hampshire Garden Solutions — November 3, 2018 @ 2:11 am
Your falls are so dramatic, it must be sad to see the colors go so quickly! Beautiful.
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Comment by Candace — November 2, 2018 @ 3:18 pm
The colors were around for quite awhile, but after the reached their peak the leaves began to shed right away. Sad, yes, but they will be back next year and there will be all of those wildflowers in between.
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Comment by montucky — November 2, 2018 @ 7:36 pm
Good to know that the trees are nursed after their brilliant performance ❤
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Comment by Hanna — November 2, 2018 @ 5:49 pm
Yes, nature is the best gardener. The trees get their drink before winter and the shed leaves provide a nice quilt for the low-growing plants and more nutriments for next spring.
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Comment by montucky — November 2, 2018 @ 7:39 pm
Gorgeous color!
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Comment by Sue — November 2, 2018 @ 6:38 pm
Our fall colors this year were the best in years and the weather was good as well so we could really enjoy them.
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Comment by montucky — November 2, 2018 @ 7:43 pm
Amazing photos! We’ve had weeks of rain so colors have faded.
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Comment by heartandsoul974 — November 3, 2018 @ 3:44 am
We have had the same now. Still some leaves and needles on the trees, but they are falling fast.
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Comment by montucky — November 3, 2018 @ 7:22 am
How lucky to catch that last batch of colour. Makes winter whites all the more easier on the eye after that stunning display.
I particularly like the third image – great spot in the river curve to be standing for that photo.
We’ve had extremes of very mixed weather DownUnder. Yesterday was blowing so gusty I ended up bringing 3 plants indoors. Still waiting on those blueberries to change colour too.
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Comment by Vicki — November 3, 2018 @ 5:11 am
The bend in the river made the far bank look like a stage for the colored plants.
Our weather has been rainy for a week now and the forecast is for snow starting Wednesday. Very mixed weather: there was a rainbow here yesterday and thunderstorms to the south.
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Comment by montucky — November 3, 2018 @ 7:30 am
A vibrant colorful scene to carry with one into the winter months!
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Comment by Lavinia Ross — November 3, 2018 @ 9:48 am
I have thought that about the fall colors many times myself!
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Comment by montucky — November 3, 2018 @ 10:16 pm
Such a beautiful time of year in Montana.
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Comment by wordsfromanneli — November 3, 2018 @ 12:21 pm
It is. It seems so short though, but much appreciated.
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Comment by montucky — November 3, 2018 @ 10:17 pm
It is short, isn’t it. It’s hot all summer and then after a very few weeks of cooler weather, wham! Winter hits, and stays and stays and stays.
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Comment by wordsfromanneli — November 4, 2018 @ 10:59 am
Yes. The weather forecast for here calls for 18º (F) Wednesday night already.
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Comment by montucky — November 4, 2018 @ 11:11 am
Brrr! I’m glad we decided to come home during that last beautiful week (only two weeks ago) in Montana, when daytime highs were still almost like a pleasant summer’s day.
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Comment by wordsfromanneli — November 4, 2018 @ 11:24 am
Your timing was good. This morning it was 41 and raining and with the high humidity it really felt cold.
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Comment by montucky — November 4, 2018 @ 11:29 am
I worry about getting through the passes before the snow comes to those higher elevations. We were really lucky and had a beautiful drive home.
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Comment by wordsfromanneli — November 4, 2018 @ 11:51 am
What glorious colours!! So vibrant. We’ve lost most of our autumn colours very quickly, through a prolonged spell of gales and rain.
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Comment by Jo Woolf — November 4, 2018 @ 3:17 pm
We have now too, and so very quickly.
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Comment by montucky — November 4, 2018 @ 9:29 pm
Beautiful images, very well done!
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Comment by Reed Andariese — November 4, 2018 @ 6:38 pm
Thank you Reed!
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Comment by montucky — November 4, 2018 @ 9:29 pm
Amazing fall colors in Your stunning photos. I feel me like privileged when having the possibility to watch Your photos. Thank You.
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Comment by Sartenada — November 6, 2018 @ 1:12 am
Thank you for your kind comment, Matti! I’m glad that you enjoy seeing the beauty of our forests.
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Comment by montucky — November 6, 2018 @ 9:16 am
I remember the cottonwood trees well. My allergies were at high tide while they shed their “cotton” in our backyard. I loved to sit under their shade in the summer but dreaded what they did to me in the fall in the Panhandle of Texas. 😦
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Comment by Beth — November 6, 2018 @ 2:17 am
I imagine that “cotton” would not be pleasant for anyone with allergies. It sometimes covers the road near my house, as do the leaves at this time of year.
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Comment by montucky — November 6, 2018 @ 9:24 am
I’m sorry (but not surprised) to hear that the great colors have now passed away. The pictures in your recent posts confirm that you had a good time of it while it lasted.
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Comment by Steve Schwartzman — November 6, 2018 @ 8:31 am
The nice colors we had this year were a real treat, but they sure didn’t last long. They are nearly all gone now and white is beginning to provide the contrast in the forests.
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Comment by montucky — November 6, 2018 @ 9:25 am
Lovely hues .. and a much needed drink before winter slumber 🙂
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Comment by Julie@frogpondfarm — November 8, 2018 @ 12:42 pm
I was thankful for a nicely colorful fall and some good rain before winter. Now we’ll see what the white season brings.
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Comment by montucky — November 8, 2018 @ 5:55 pm
I love autumn, and it’s on full display in your photos! But the weather looks cold, too. Not so good for someone who enjoys warm, sunny days.
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Comment by Deli Lanoux, Ed.D. — November 20, 2018 @ 11:58 am
Warm sunny days won’t be here until perhaps May. The colors are now gone and are being replaced by shades of white. This is the season for us to play in the snow and on the ice. Personally I like the winter, especially the cold wind on my face. It is so refreshing!
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Comment by montucky — November 20, 2018 @ 9:07 pm
Beautiful pictures.
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Comment by scorpio1987sazzy — November 21, 2018 @ 11:14 pm
Awesome! So colourful :)! Bye. K
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Comment by Kamila Pala — December 10, 2018 @ 12:49 am
Yes, we had a beautiful autumn this year!
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Comment by montucky — December 10, 2018 @ 3:34 pm