November Leaves

Santa Cruz Mountains, California

It’s been said that California has no discernible seasons, but our dogwood tree thinks otherwise. Its festive springtime blossoms become ripe seeds as its bronze foliage suddenly turns multicolored.

In November, when other trees have lost their leaves, the dogwood displays a plethora of colors and patterns. It’s a lovely, unpredictable, and short-lived showiness.

November showers bring…bright foliage, but just only a short time. The dogwood leaves change their colors and patterns daily, in all sorts of hues, until finally they fall and the tree rests.

Our plum tree also performs its color antics in November. Every year I think it’s not going to do anything. But every year at least some of the leaves turn bright.

The pre-winter rains seem to encourage the color shift. The morning after a storm, every remaining leaf has changed. And after only a few golden days they fall.

And once they fall they are still lovely, if ephemeral. For a short time, a riot of colors graces our patio. And then, we rake them away and the cycle begins all over again.