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Orange and yellow

I walked down my hill and around the Kai Tai Lagoon a few days ago. The trees are putting on an amazing show. It interests me that most of the trees the city is planting are not native. We have a lot of non-native maples. I feel a bit ambivalent, but they certainly turn red! The orange one here is an oak. There are native oaks and I have not figured out if this is one.

For Cee’s Flower of the Day. I think the leaves are taking their turn at being flowers before they fall.

8 thoughts on “Orange and yellow”

  1. Cee Neuner's avatar Cee Neuner says:
    October 25, 2023 at 6:59 am

    Beautiful autumn colors :D

  2. lois's avatar lois says:
    October 25, 2023 at 6:06 am

    Wow. Talk about a blaze of color!

  3. halffastcyclingclub's avatar halffastcyclingclub says:
    October 25, 2023 at 5:47 am

    When the city planted my street tree 27 years ago, the only choice was a Norway Maple. The state DNR reports it as having “invasive tendencies” and that it is “overrepresented along streets” – now that our elms have been wiped out and ashes are mostly gone, will Norway Maples be next? Or are only native trees wiped out by non-native pests? Will its “invasive tendencies” save it at the expense of native maples?

    • drkottaway's avatar drkottaway says:
      October 25, 2023 at 6:57 am

      I worry about this too. We have trees reaching the end of their life span but they are not native. So the historic preservation folks and the native plants folks are in disagreement.

  4. writerravenclaw's avatar writerravenclaw says:
    October 25, 2023 at 5:15 am

    I love the idea of trees putting on a show.

    • drkottaway's avatar drkottaway says:
      October 25, 2023 at 5:36 am

      I think they wait until the flowers are gone and then say, “Our turn!”

      • Lou Carreras's avatar Lou Carreras says:
        October 25, 2023 at 2:58 pm

        If I remember correctly it’s as a result of the tree salvaging nutrients from the leaves before they drop. the pigments have mostly been there all along, but the chlorophyll conceals the. Probably more complex than that – but that’s my story and I’m stickin’ with it.

        • drkottaway's avatar drkottaway says:
          October 26, 2023 at 3:13 am

          I took an immunology class in 1996. I am reading a more modern text now. Holy cats, we’ve learned a lot! I am sure plants are the same: endlessly complicated.

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