For much of the year, I would have to say yellow is my least favorite color. I don’t actively dislike this lemony hue… it’s just that I find most of the others more appealing.

But in autumn, yellow really comes into its own, beaming back all that hoarded sunshine.

The mercury has been on a fall roller-coaster ride here in southwest Virginia, and the leaves have been slow to reach peak. This week, I’m especially taken by amber leaves with the memory of bright lime green still visible. When I take the time to pay attention, I see so many variations of this leafy golden light… saffron, mustard, butter, honey, canary…

No wonder I feel I’ve caught some rays during my daily walks, even when the sky is gray!

[Thanks to the following photographers for making their work available through the Creative Commons license: Henner Zeller, Liz West, Philip Bouchard, Jeff, Robert Easton, and Aurelio Asiain. © 2017 Sidewalk Zendo. Reprints welcomed with written permission from the author.]