Changing Colors

Each year one of the most beautiful things to witness in the fall is the changing of colors in the leaves of trees, especially the sugar maple.  The sugar maple really provides a wonderful contrast in colors in its leaves as autumn comes...you see green, brown, and the red.  It’s the “red” color of the tree leaves that catches our eye the most.  The turning of the leaves is something most of us do not pay too much attend to, unless you have to rake them up, put them in bags for pick up, add them to the compost pile so as to use them next year for the home garden. 

From a distance these contacting colors help prepare us to know that fall is here and winter is just around the corner.  When you add in the “turning of leaves” in other trees in the area, including the Ash, Elm, Oak, Basswood, Dawn Redwood, Hackberry, Juniper, Carbapple, Cherry and blend those in with the Spruce and Evergreens, than the view is quite inspiring.  The amazing think about this panoramic display of colors from nature is that it helps us to appreciate our natural surroundings.  It should also remind us to not take things for granted and that all life is important. 

But the turning of the leaves of the sugar maple provides us with a number of clues or lessons that we should pay particular attend to.  One of the first facts is that this tree does not grow everywhere in the US.  Secondly, the “sugar maple” is a great shade tree to stand and sit under.  It can keep the sun and rain off one’s head.  Even those it primarily grows in northern climates as a hardwood tree, it too like most things around us is affected by climate change and manmade pollutions due in part to its shallow root system.  This tree provides a signal with its “turning of leaves” that winter is really upon us and that the year is coming to an end.  

But the amazing thing about his tree, like most trees that lose its leaves in the fall is the fact that another year is coming upon us and that spring is just around the corner.  This lets us know that it’s a new time, a new season and new opportunities.  It is a time when new buds, fruit and leaves will emerge from those same trees that once were dormant and now are showing signs of new life.  If I see this right, than what we think or how we view our community can all change.  It is all possible; it is a part of nature and controlled by natural laws and if we look for it and prepare for it, than change will happen.   What do you think?