Painting the Bayou Red!

Ok..so I was roaming about the hill when I suddenly realized that it seems that we have a lot more color this fall than ever before. There is such an array of yellows, reds and purples in the trees that the Bayou looks more like one of those picture postcards from the Northeast! I wondered just what was up with this??? The first bunch of colored leaves I noticed were too far down in the Bayou for me to identify. Even though it was a nice brisk day, I knew better than to clamber down the hill into the marsh for a better look. It definitely has not been cold enough for the moccasins and alligators to be in hibernation! I thought perhaps these were just the maples and nothing more. Still there were so many different shades of colors that it lead me to believe it had to be more than one tree.

I hiked a bit further around the back behind the peach trees and found my answer! Here, I found a lot of small trees that made the hill look like a big patchwork quilt. These trees were only about three feet tall so I could get a good look at the leaves to make positive identifications! In this one area, there were the Red Maples with their purplish red five point leaves. These tall trees used to fill the creek area before multiple hurricanes wiped them out. I was glad to find some small ones and will stake them so they can perhaps replenish the lost stock. I miss looking out my kitchen window and seeing the fiery blooms in the spring, the deep reds of the seed pods during the summer, the wine-colored leaves of the fall and the bare branches in winter. One note about the Red Maple..the leaves are highly toxic to horses..even to the point of death. Since I have no horses, I am fully certain that my Red Maples will cause no harm!

Another happy find was the Sassafras! Their deeply lobed leaves ranged from green to bright red. These small trees will be tagged and moved to a better growing area later this winter. I have always liked the Sassafras Trees to be growing on the hill. Again being a brittle tree, hurricanes have taken their toll on this tree, too. Not many of the larger trees still stand so these small ones will be well cared for in hopes that they will survive. Later some of the leaves will be harvested to make file' (a thickening agent) for gumbo!

Some of the taller trees wearing their Fall Glory of Color, are Black Gums or Black Tupelos. These were not harmed by the storms simply because they are so unbelievably tough! The wood is very tough and hard to split but highly aromatic! These trees are seemingly indestructible!...with one exception..wood-borers! These insects reek havoc on any damaged tree and will eventually kill it!

Then, there are the invaders! The Chinese Tallow Trees that will take over an area are wearing their brightest colors this Fall. This might be an invasive species and might be considered a pest or menace tree but oh, my goodness!..the colors are phenomenal! I hit the perfect time of the day to photograph the leaves of this tree..late evening! The setting sun gave a glow to most everything around but the "Popcorn Tree" as it is known, appeared to be on fire! The colors were brilliant! During the fall color season, this tree fully exonerates itself from all its bad deeds during the rest of the year! It is gorgeous! These, too, will be transferred to a better spot where they will be grown as future firewood. It is a shame to think that the tree will be grown just to be cut, but with the reseeding rate and the rapid growth rate of this tree, it makes sense. In just two years, this tree when left in the wild, can multiple by the thousands. In that same two years, it will grow to a size that will be desirable for cutting. A renewable resource..I can have firewood to warm the Little Bayou House without harming any of the slower-growing hardwoods. Not to mention, if I plant a grove of these, my Falls will be full of color!