Brainsalad's Sense of Trees(tm) has been fully activated the last few weeks. The trees are reaching their fall color peak, and on my drives into and from work I have been paying quite a bit of attention to the colors. It is amazing to look at Red and Sugar Maples and see the variety of color than can exist in one tree. Tops and the very outer branches of tree turn first, their very tips bright red, while branches further down are an orange color, and still closer in towards the trunks there is still a lot of green.

I have this wonderful guide book that I found. It's in the Peterson's Field Guide series and is simply titled "Eastern Forests". This book takes a ecosystem approach. Instead of just listing individual trees or plants and showing a range for them, it talks about what sorts of trees one can expect to see in different environments. So for example, after work today I went for a walk at a park by the river. The guidebook points out what trees and other plants are most commonly found in my area near rivers, with grouped illustrations so that someone can pick things out easily.

The riverside environment isn't as colorful as the hills. The most common trees are Silver Maples, Black Willows, and Sycamores - none of which has particularly spectular foliage. Smaller Silver Maples closer to the river have turned yellow, while their larger brethen further away from the river still retain much of their green. There is Sumac, a smaller weed tree that turns a very bright red, but they are scattered and found more at the edges of fields. Many of the trees near the river are draped in vines covered with leaves that resemble Maple leaves. These are Viburnums, and are the same plants that have colonized the brick sides of the building I work in. Orange and yellow flowering Jewelweeds with their seeds that spring from pods have largely faded.

I have a long hike planned this weekend, and I will be in the more colorful hills rather than near the somewhat duller river banks. In another week or two most of the leaves will have disappeared and the cold will settle in for a long stretch, so I had better enjoy it while I can.