More Changing Fall Colors
Here in the Northeast, the plants and trees continue to show off their gorgeous fall colors.
This time of year, because of the changes in temperature and length of daylight, the leaves stop their food-making process. When this happens, the chlorophyll breaks down and the green color disappears, making way for all the shades of autumn. Here at my farm, we're still waiting for a hard frost. In fact, today's temperatures are expected to be in the high 70s, but the colors across the landscape are beautiful - various shades of orange, yellow, brown, red, and evergreen.
Enjoy these photos.
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- There are leaves everywhere this time of year. Some trees change early, others late – usually from mid-October to mid-November here in the Northeast.
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- Autumn leaf color is a phenomenon that affects the green leaves of many deciduous trees and shrubs.
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- At my farm I planted many different types of trees in hopes that they would shade, provide climate control, and change color at different times, in different ways. It’s so beautiful to see them change through the seasons.
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- And what a difference a couple of weeks make. These tall sugar maples above my tree peony garden are now nearly bare of leaves. Just a couple of weeks ago, they were filled with gorgeous shades of yellow, burnt orange, and red.
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- The colors change daily, Warm, sunny days and cool nights produce the most spectacular colors.
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- Here is one of my ginkgo trees. These trees show a dramatic change every fall when the bold green leaves turn golden bright yellow.
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- At the edge of the back hayfield is the giant sycamore tree – the symbol of my farm. The foliage of American sycamore trees is a vast crown of large leaves. In autumn, sycamore tree leaves turn shades of yellow and brown.
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- Nearby, the early evening sun shines through the golden leaves above the dark evergreens.
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- Here is a look through the woodland – so beautiful with its palette of gold, green, and auburn.
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- And this is what one sees on the other side of the same giant field – beautiful shades of red.
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- It is fall here now, but in Australia and New Zealand, autumn begins in March and ends in May, while those who live near the equator miss this season entirely because their regions get a consistent amount of sun.
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- Linden tree leaves turn a spectacular bright yellow color in fall. Lindens, Tilia, are also known as basswoods, and have sturdy, straight trunks and profuse foliage. This allée of lindens below the tall white pines runs from the chicken coops up to my allée of boxwood and then again from the boxwood to my long pergola.
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- Here beneath my dawn redwoods, the hostas are also changing. Hosta leaves turn yellow, brown, and soft orange and then die back as the plants prepare for winter dormancy.
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- I also get many compliments on the fencing – it is antique spruce fencing I bought in Canada, and it surrounds all my paddocks for the horses, pony and donkeys. This is my grove of American beech trees, Fagus grandifolia.
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- This is one side of my allée of pin oaks, Quercus palustris. They are starting to turn a gorgeous russet brown.
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- Just a week ago, this beautiful Nyssa sylvatica, or black tupelo, was still predominantly dark green, but now its foliage is turning bright red, purple, yellow, and orange – all colors that may appear on the same branch.
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- On the other side of my terrace – an apple tree, now completely bare except for a few fruits.
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- Redbud trees, with their heart-shaped leaves display a variety of fall colors, including yellow, golden, and crimson.
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- We’ve already begun placing old bales of hay around the hoop houses to add insulation for the coming cold.
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- This time of year is always so magical. Here are my horses grazing in their run-in pasture surrounded by the beautiful foliage. I hope you are able to enjoy some of these autumn colors where you are.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
