The stoplight trees - that were red, yellow, and green back in September - are now all done! All the leaves are gone from all three trees.
Here's their transformation in the last couple of weeks....
October 16th
Two weeks ago, there were still leaves on all three trees. The left tree was full of fruit (brownish red samaras) and the tree on the right was still yellowing.
And all that's left of these leaves is scars on the twig, a mess on the street, and some buds waiting for next spring.
Hey, can you see the green on the trees in the background there? There's actually still quite a lot of green around. I'm surprised at how green some of the other trees still are at the end of October. These ash trees really are way ahead. The stoplight trees and my own tree are practically bare, while their neighbors are still putting on a show of fall colors.
Here's their transformation in the last couple of weeks....
October 16th
Two weeks ago, there were still leaves on all three trees. The left tree was full of fruit (brownish red samaras) and the tree on the right was still yellowing.
October 20th
Four days later, the tree on the left and the one in the middle had precious little leaves remaining and the one on the right had lost a large percentage of its leaves. Rainy days in between led to a large number of leaves coming down suddenly.
Four days later, the tree on the left and the one in the middle had precious little leaves remaining and the one on the right had lost a large percentage of its leaves. Rainy days in between led to a large number of leaves coming down suddenly.
October 24th
Four days after that and it's pretty much all over! The tree on the left has all her fruit and maybe a half dozen leaves on the very lowest twig. The middle tree is bare. And the tree on the right almost bare. Eight days and they're all set for winter. But when are those samaras going to fall off of the female tree? Why hasn't she let go of them yet?? They weren't there in the winter, so I know they don't stick around forever.
Check out the bare branches on the female tree (you can see the fruit hanging from the higher branches at the top of the picture):
October 24th
Two months ago that same group of twigs looked like this:
August 25th
I'd forgotten how the trees sort of disappear when the leaves aren't there. You just see right through them. That first picture looks like a picture of the house, not of branches. What a difference the leaves make.
Four days after that and it's pretty much all over! The tree on the left has all her fruit and maybe a half dozen leaves on the very lowest twig. The middle tree is bare. And the tree on the right almost bare. Eight days and they're all set for winter. But when are those samaras going to fall off of the female tree? Why hasn't she let go of them yet?? They weren't there in the winter, so I know they don't stick around forever.
Check out the bare branches on the female tree (you can see the fruit hanging from the higher branches at the top of the picture):
October 24th
Two months ago that same group of twigs looked like this:
August 25th
I'd forgotten how the trees sort of disappear when the leaves aren't there. You just see right through them. That first picture looks like a picture of the house, not of branches. What a difference the leaves make.
And all that's left of these leaves is scars on the twig, a mess on the street, and some buds waiting for next spring.
Hey, can you see the green on the trees in the background there? There's actually still quite a lot of green around. I'm surprised at how green some of the other trees still are at the end of October. These ash trees really are way ahead. The stoplight trees and my own tree are practically bare, while their neighbors are still putting on a show of fall colors.
a honey locust and my ash tree
"Winning!"
"Winning!"
written and illustrated by Adam Rex. This book is a rollicking story about what happens when the circus rolls by a rather popular tree. 
the whole gang runs past all the places they've been before. Past the trees. Past the playground. Past the swing.
