10/27/09 THE ALCHEMY OF FALL

AT LAST, A SUNNY DAY
A RED MAPLE THAT IS YELLOW
YELLOW RED MAPLE LEAVES
THE TAMARACKS TURN FROM GOLD TO BRONZE

Tuesday, 8:30 AM. 33 degrees, wind W, very light. The channel is lightly wrinkled, the sky is cloudless, and the barometer again predicts rain; but, at last, a sunny day!
There is a red maple tree on Mannypenny Ave. that exhibits a golden-yellow leaf coloration now, although some leaves were tipped with crimson earlier. This tree normally has bright red fall foliage. This year the leaf color is indistinguishable from the sugar maples (note that the red maple leaves have three main lobes, and the sugar maple leaves have five). The variation in fall color from year to year and tree to tree is amazing to me, and makes each fall, like each snowflake, truly unique. The tamaracks are glorious now, beginning to turn from gold to bronze. The alchemy of fall leaf color is fully as mysterious as the alchemy of the wizards of old.