Platanus occidentalis, American sycamore
October 21, 2011
Elk Grove, IL
Platanaceae
There are particular one oak tree that colored red. It struck me odd because all other trees are all green or brown. The red pigments seems to be non-existent in other tree leaves. The entire tree is colored. Which may mean that either the DNA does that. All tree has different genes that alter the size of leave -- or the width of the lobes etc. It may just because of the micro climate that affected the entire tree -- regardless of where the branches are, which is not exactly likable.
The sugar maple trees are colored now in oranges to golden and red. The sycamore trees are robust. Their thick leaves are still green, even when they fell. Some trees are more cold resistant than others. Hornbeam trees still keep their leaves green. The leaves of ash trees are gone, and depending on where they are, all leaves are gone leaving its seeds on tree twigs hanging.
This is a beautiful autumn day. The clear blue sky, and the colored leaves, and sunshine. Nuts and acorns are everywhere on the ground, scattered among the tree leaves. It has been cold for the last a couple of days and all the insects are not there -- a week ago, dragon flies and butterflies were there, however moving slowly by the cold temperature. The squirrels were in search of nuts last week. But today, after the rain, they were nowhere to be seen. The forest was quiet, even when the sun shined above casting shadows of leaves on the tree trunks making patches of spot lights moving with the wind.