In my youth I only admired brightly colored maples. I don’t think I am alone. When people talk about the New England fall and set off leaf peeping, it is the brilliance of the maples that they are looking for.
But even maples cannot be counted on to be consistently scarlet. Now that I am older, and spend so much time driving up and down Route 8A which winds through woodlands and along a stream, then onto Route 2, the famous scenic Mohawk Trail, I have become more appreciative and admiring of the other trees that are so common.
Golden poplar trees line the last bit of road leading to our house.
White barked birches scatter gold across the cerulean sky.
Dense burnished leaves of the young oaks glow in the afternoon sun along the roadside.
Right in my own backyard I have brilliant blueberry foliage to enjoy
in its myriad shades.
Our woods are full of beech trees, but I’ve never hear anyone write an ode to the beech.
I have come to a special admiration of the beech and the progression of fall color. The summer green becomes striped with a sunny yellow. Then it seems those colors change places and the yellow leaves are touched with green. Soon the yellow is tinged with a lively brown before it turns a dry rustling brown. These two beeches growing right next to each other show how unpredictably the color changes.
An interesting aspect of the beech, especially young beech trees is that the leaves are not abscissed in the fall, which is to say, the leaves do not fall off the tree. In the spring the new leaf buds finally push the dead leaf off the branch. If you want to add a new word to your horticultural vocabulary, the term for this process ismarcescense.
Soon the trees will be bare, all the colors dimmed and blown away. Only the dreams of autumn will be left to me. Until next year.
You are right; there are a lot of other trees to enjoy besides the maple, especially since the maples seem to drop sooner. Thanks for the new word to add to my vocabulary.
It’s true: the rain is taking more of them down! Your photos will be comforting when winter comes…….
Hi Pat, such wisdom and such color! I don’t know much about Beech trees, or any trees for that matter. But agree that the showy maples grab all the attention from the leaf peepers when there is so much else to admire out there. I like to see the mix of colors. It seems to be a good year too.
Frances
I love the golden glow coming from the beech trees just outside the windows of little our cabin . They brighten the woods and contrast the deep green of the hemlocks. It’s such a nice time of year to go out for a woodsy walk.
Gift 3
Your note planted an oasis
in my desert.
I wonder if a tiger
can be tamed
to be a cuddly cat.
My heart, used to running,
yearns homeward–
knows the roads well–
back when storms
made all wild things
run home.
C copyright. May not be reproduced without permission
Kathy,I knew you would like the vocabulary lesson.
Tinky – It is nice to have these photos which include glorious sunlight.
Frances – It is a good year, shown to best advantage when the sun is shining – which is not very often.
Mattenylou- We live in such a beautiful wooded spot we can enjoy those walks in every season.
Rita – What a beautiful poem. Thank you.
Gorgeous color in New England indeed. All colors make such a great tapestry. I love them all but am most partial to the oranges of the oaks and some maples.