Last weekend I had coffee with a new friend. She arrived at the table with a handful of perfectly smooth, uniformly flat, yellow ginkgo leaves. The miniature fall bouquet was the type of thing I would glue to a strip of paper and cover in Mod Podge, if I was 6 years old. Actually, I made decoupage bookmarks as holiday gifts three years ago, and they looked like they were made by a 6-year-old.
As much as we might try to capture the beauty of fall leaves, they are a lot like dragonflies. Without the help of a gentle wind and the reflection of the light, leaves just aren’t as lovely without animation.
Mark Carlson called a few weeks ago to remind me not to miss his autumn dogwood trees before they fade. I visited his backyard last spring when the backyard was bursting with dogwood blooms of white and pink. Back then he boasted that the colors in fall would be equally vibrant.
Mark’s a bit batty about his dogwoods. Everyone is allowed their passions, and if your passion includes a particular plant, more is apparently better.
His backyard is mostly lined with the deciduous beauties, which do well under a canopy of taller trees. Right now, the tips of his dogwood leaves are a burnt red, with green at the stems and along the stems. Red berries, the color of nandina, hang in clusters.
My guess is that the birds love the berries because dogwood trees are growing up and down Mark’s entire street. It may not have been intentional, but it looks like he shared his dogwood joy.
The urgency of my visit was because Mark and his wife did not want me to miss anything this year. You see, dogwoods create color just a bit sooner than the other trees we love this time of year. When I drove toward his house, I saw Chinese pistache trees, with swirls of muted sherbet colors. Yet, those Chinese pistache will glow even more brightly as time passes.
When I cruise toward my house along The Esplanade, the ginkgo biloba are just nearing their prime, and will soon be so yellow they’ll rival McDonald’s golden arches.
By then, Mark’s dogwoods will be a memory.
Dogwoods are even more astounding if the weather provides a few solid chilly nights, Mark explained, as hummingbirds dive-bombed past his head toward the outdoor bird feeder.
Mark’s wife also pointed out quail that were waddling along the couple’s wooden fence.
WHY LEAVES CHANGE
I’m convinced that trees change color so that each season has something beautiful for humans to appreciate. However, there’s also some science involved. As the nights continue to get longer, the cells near the leaf and the stem begin to divide and cause what is known as an “abscission layer.” This layer blocks the tree from sending carbohydrates to the leaves, the United States National Arboretum reports in a lengthy article about science and trees. As the production of chlorophyll slows, the green pigment fades, and the other colors have their chance to shine, albeit briefly.
Around here, that means our evening walks look like strolling through a watercolor painting. As with every year, we never know how long the show will last. Last time I checked, rain is predicted for today and possibly this weekend. More storms will follow. If you’re planning a Mod Podge project, take a puddle-stomping walk this weekend to gather supplies.
Follow garden enthusiast Heather Hacking on Facebook and Twitter. To send snail mail, P.O. Box 5166, Chico CA 95927.
