Did autumn come late this year, just as everything else arrived in advance? It’s been a warm year, and cooler temperatures were late to arrive, waiting until mid-November to put on the chill. With low temperatures finally hitting the high 30’s (high fives in celsius, more fun to say) the leaves flipped their color switches and blasted into color.
These trees are mostly maples, not especially drought tolerant, but for some reason it seems that fall color and drought tolerance are a rare combination. Chinese pistache and staghorn sumac aren’t thirsty, but the maples appreciate regular water. Still, as trees they’re less demanding of frequent drinks than lawn and more tolerant if they have to go without, within reason.
The best time to photograph these colors? Just after a rosy sunset. The sky color intensifies the leaves and since there’s no direct sun, there’s no contrast. This creates a glowing effect, almost surreal. Any wind makes the leaves blur, sometimes artistically (so does twisting the camera during the shot, as was done for one of the red maple photos).