Training Season

 

9/10/26 Frisia black locust and Crimson King Norway maple, Maple Leaf neighborhood

I haven't officially declared leaf-peeping season yet, but I'm in training. A good warm-up were these bright yellow trees. Most of the year, their foliage is lime green, then in the fall, they turn lemon yellow and then yellow-orange. I think of them as “citrus trees,” but they’re actually Frisia black locusts.

The very dark reddish-black tree in front of the locust is a Crimson King Norway maple (above). For that confounding color, I used a dark sepia Derwent Inktense pencil with a light layer of magenta Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle pencil over that. Trying to get that hue reminded me of a similar challenge I gave myself during the first pandemic summer with some ornamental plums I’d spotted. They also have a deep purple, nearly black hue.

9/10/26 Frisia black locust, Maple Leaf neighborhood