Spotlight Plant Of The Month For October: Fall Foliage Trees

Believe it or not, I struggled with this one, not because of a lack of plant Photo Courtesy of James and Darlene Maloney, Personal Photo Collection material to discuss, but because I wanted to write about chrysthanthemums, a natural choice for October. I did not want to write a short brief on mums, I wanted to talk about them in greater depth. So, I did in a stand-alone article about them. But, I was still in a quandry. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks: The trees! There is simply nothing as wonderful as the trees of Autumn and October in our beautiful southern Great Lakes region, a truly magical time in our area! So, this month's featured plants are the beautiful fall foliage trees of our region.

We are fortunate to be in one of the premier areas of the world when it comes time to experience the glorious days of Autumn: The North American continent. Very few areas in North America can rival the glories of the Southern Great Lakes Autumn. Our region is, in its own way, equal to the color displays of New England and the Appalachians. We might not have mountains, but add the backdrop of the lakes and gently rolling land, and a visitor would be able to return home with many wonderful memories and photos of the spectacular display that our region experiences.

October is the month when Nature throws all abandon and caution to the wind. In her final gift of the growing season, she pulls out all the stops, and paints the most vivid scenes of the year. Take a drive down any country lane. Golds, russets, rich browns, burgundies, orange, red, mossy greens, pure yellows! The colors shimmer even on the cloudiest of days. Drive past beige fields, and in nearly every instance, there will be a backdrop of woods containing maples, ash, sumac, oak, and many other wonderful trees. Roll the windows down, soak in the rich aroma of fallen leaves and earth! Wonderful natural potpourri! Natural aromatherapy!

Take a drive along the lakes, the great ones and the smaller ones, and view the reflection of brilliant blue skies and blazing trees. No artist or camera can capture the beauty of the scene as that one viewed with human eyes.

Some years, the display is a bit muted. Some years, the golden ones are the stars of the show. Other years, russets and reds abound. No two years are ever the same, and as the season progresses, the slide show of the autumn display changes day to day as well.

The rich hues of the fall foliage display warms the heart and soul. It brings back memories of the politically incorrect days when a haze would cover fields and atmosphere from piles of smoldering leaves. Natural incense, never overwhelming, pungent and heart-warming. It brings back memories of childhood: Trick or Treat, pumpkin carving, bobbing for apples, jumping in wonderful, earthy scratchy-soft piles of leaves! Bonfires and hayrides, warm days and cool nights. What warm memories are triggered by the beauty of the trees of October!