Even with hundreds of thousands of leaves scattered across the landscape, it was challenging to find a fallen leaf that gives a sense of autumn. 

I finally discovered this maple leaf on the on the Kinzua Creek Trail in northwest Pennsylvania. The shape, texture and color of the leaf all say, "fall." I really liked the gritty glistening black backdrop with the elevated background. I included a hiker in miniature at the middle top of the image. It was my hope that the hiker would cause the subconscious mind of some viewers to focus a little longer on the image.