Autumnal banana leaf composition in October light by Silva Wischeropp

Banana leaves photographed in the nature park in the autumnal play of light create an enchanting atmosphere in all living rooms and bedrooms. I discovered this nature motif on 16 October 2018 in the sunny afternoon hours. The photo was taken with the NIKON D90 (lens: SIGMA 18.0-50.0 mm f/2.8).

In Anglo-American usage, "Indian summer" refers to the weather period or period of time in autumn. The phenomenon of leaf discolouration is called "fall foliage" or "foliage" for short, after the Middle English "foliage" (in the sense of leaf), which in turn is derived from the Latin "folium". Another colloquial term related to this is "leaf peeping", the tracking, observation and photography of leaf discolouration.

The origin of the word Indian summer is unclear, although various speculative views are circulating in the literature - and even more so on the internet. For example, the word could be derived from the main hunting season of the North American natives in autumn, but also from the favourable weather conditions that favoured raids on colonial settlers before the onset of winter.

The Iroquois tell the legend of the hunt for the big bear. Every autumn, two hunters pursue the great bear, whose magical power carries it high into the sky. But the tireless hunters and their dog follow it up there too and kill it after a long chase. The bear's blood drips onto the ground and colours the leaves of the maple tree red. If you look up at the sky, you can see the Great Bear (the trapezium formed by four stars in the constellation of the Big Dipper) and, close behind it, the two hunters and their dog (the three Drake stars).