Sometimes beauty is found in the most surprising of places... in this case, literally underfoot. I was walking along Somerset Road, happened to glance down, and noticed this beautiful maple leaf -- blushing with shades of yellow, orange and red, and nestled on a blanket of older, dead leaves. The image was taken handheld, pointing straight down. (It was not posed -- I never pose images.)

Of all of the many autumn pictures I have taken in Vermont, this is one of my favorites. I use it as my "avatar" on photography-related Internet forums, as well as on Facebook.