More Leaves to Peep

10/28/17 Maples ablaze on 5th Ave. NE at Northgate Way

Everyone I talk to agrees: We are having one of the best autumns ever for color! 

On my way to the pumpkin carving party last Friday, I missed my turn to the community center because I was so dazzled by the fiery maples near Northgate Mall. I don’t know enough about maples to identify their varieties, but unlike the ones I saw the other day at University Village, which were all bright yellow-orange, these displayed a full range of green, yellow, orange, red and magenta. By the time I left the party, the sun had dipped below the buildings, so the trees were no longer blazing. I returned the next day to catch them in the late afternoon sun, and those maples were once again afire.

10/30/17 Sourwood tree near Green Lake

A couple days later I followed a tip from a friend (thanks, Katie!) to a tree near Green Lake. Expecting to see a maple when I arrived at the intersection she gave me, I was surprised to find another type of tree: spectacularly red in the mid-afternoon sun and dripping strands of yellow-green pod-like buds. After doing my usual “research” (a social media call to my tree-knowledgeable friends), I learned that it’s a sourwood tree. (Actually, a pair of them stood right next to each other, but from the angle I sketched them, they looked like one.) Not only has this fall been a feast of eye candy; I’m also learning to identify trees new to me.

(By the way, you’ll be seeing this sourwood sketch again soon for a special purpose . . . stay tuned.)