In the summer the tree canopy is green, green everywhere you look. In the fall that all changes. Suddenly you notice reds, yellows, golds, russets, and even purples. Tree identification becomes a little easier when you see what colors they turn in the fall. Some years are more colorful than others.
This past summer our Fling was in Buffalo. One place we visited was Draves Arboretum. This arboretum is the personal collection of Thomas Draves. Located on thirty acres, Thomas Draves planted over 900 tree and shrub species to test their viability in Upstate New York. It is located in Darien Center, NY.
The Arboretum is a Level III accredited arboretum. In 2021 it was also recognized as an American Conifer Society Reference Garden under Barbara Evans' guidance. Of course, since it was summer, all the hardwoods were green.
There were a few trees in bloom while we were there: a Tilia tomentosa and a Catalpa.
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| Tilia tomentosa 'Sterling' Sterling Silver Linden |
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| Tilia tomentosa 'Sterling' Sterling Silver Linden |
I am not sure of the species of the Catalpa tree, he has four listed species of Catalpa.
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| Catalpa sp. |
If you have an opportunity to visit an arboretum, go, and go often. Visits to an arboretum over the course of a year will highlight different trees as they change with the seasons.
We had lunch at Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin home and there was a gorgeous European Copper Beech. This beauty was planted by the Martins. The home was built between 1903 and 1905, so this tree is at least 100 years old.
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| Fagus sylvatica f. purpurea |
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| European Copper Beech |
Be observant; see the trees in your environment. Do you have red leaves from a Dogwood? Or the shiny red of the Black Gum? While Sweet Gum gets a bad rap because of the spiky balls that drop, its fall colors really span the color wheel- every color from red to gold to purple and anything in between.
While most of the fall color is done or almost done, you can still enjoy the changing colors while walking through your garden. Here are a couple photos of my fading fall color.
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| Side yard with dry creek bed and lots of leaves |
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| Dogwood, Cornus florida's fall color |
Have you discovered a tree you hadn't noticed before? What color made it stand out in the fall?
