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| There are several patches of Virginia willow (Itea virginica) in the arboretum collection. All are descended from two plants donated by Karen Boston's mother from the Beaumont area. The fall coloration is stunning; we really ought to spend more time cultivating this plant and hopefully increase the presence of this plant in the arboretum landscape. |
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| These drooping leaves have a rich color palette. |
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| The central rib remains a vivid green while the rest of the leaf turns varying shades of red. |
An uncommon tree in our area, let's check in with the tulip poplar....
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| All the tulip poplars in the arboretum came from Jack Price. We are right on the edge of the natural growth zone for this species; it grows better further north and along the east coast. |
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| In this photo, we see our youngest tulip poplar, a volunteer that germinated downhill from the trees donated by Price. This young tree needs to be staked―it is competing for sunlight, slightly leaning to the north, away from the nearby swamp dogwood (Cornus foemina). |
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| What a bizarre shovel-shaped leaf. |
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| Quite starkly yellow-and green, these have a certain charm. |
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| It almost looks like someone took a bite out of these. |
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| Or have a pair of scissors been at work? |
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| This past week, the winged elm (Ulmus alata) at the southwest corner of Mickle Hall had bright yellow leaves. |
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| The winged elm is pictured on the left side of the frame, converging in the middle with leaves from the red maples (Acer rubrum), which are mostly yellow this year, too. |
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| These leaves will no doubt be falling soon, so enjoy them while they last. |
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| Native residents of the southeastern woodlands may have heard the legend that the crucifixion of Jesus was accomplished using the lumber of a dogwood tree. This is perhaps worthy to note given the imminent Christmas season. |
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| In mid-December, some leaves remain on the tree. In this photo, we see a dark red leaf drooping below a prominent flower bud. The flower buds remind us that spring-time is only a few months away. |
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| More leaves can be found on the ground. The dogwood leaves are mixed together with leaves of the water oak (Quercus nigra). |
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| Examined closely, we see the dogwood leaf has a rich red hue, speckled with a bit of black. |
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| The two older red maples located at the southwest corner of Mickle Hall turned yellow this year. The photos below were taken on December 15, 2024. Older blogposts tell us that color varies from year to year: we have stunning photos from November 2017, that show gorgeous orange hues. Compare the photos below with the older ones found here. |
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| The four-way intersection is dominated by evergreens—yaupon holly and Louisiana palmettos. Plenty of insects and other critters must shelter here during the bare season of winter. Are they hibernating or enjoying the maples' display? |
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| This concrete path, decorated with fallen leaves while the trees are not yet bare, lends a romantic feeling to the environment. |
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| Freshly fallen leaves stand out in the litter like a yellow-brick road. |
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| All photos below are from a single red maple, growing in the west floodplain with a thick trumpet creeper vine stuck to its trunk. You can get a good look at the form of this tree on a previous post from February 2019, found here. In the above photo, we see squirrel teeth marks on our red maple sign. Several arboretum signs have the same markings, as well as our irrigation lids. Someone needs to do a microplastic awareness campaign for our squirrel population. |
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| Maples are famous for their foliage. This photo succinctly shows why: each leaf contains a showy display from green to yellow to orange to red. |
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| If you want a natural source of variation in color, these leaves would provide a great model. |
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| In December 1993, Professor Ed Leuck planted an Ashe's viburnum (Viburnum ashei) near Mickle Hall. Today, that shrub is very large. More evidence that it's been doing well: over the past few years, volunteers have been noticed elsewhere in the arboretum. |
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| When it has its leaves, the large shrub conceals most of the arboretum shed. Soon the leaves will drop completely and the arboretum shed will be fully revealed until early spring. Interestingly, this shrub has grown very well in this spot, perhaps enjoying the extra moisture from the roof and concrete foundation of the shed. Due to the shed's presence, the shrub has had to endure regular pruning, and it has also suffered major storm damage. |
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| The Ashe's viburnum seen from a slightly different angle |
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| Ashe's viburnum has gorgeous fall foliage; leaves like this make you feel sorry for colorblind people. |
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| Fruits remain on the shrub. Collect some for a germination project! |
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| Not many leaves turn pink. What a treasure. |
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| These purplish-black drupes contrast starkly against the foliage. |
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| Enjoy these while they last! |