Tree of the Week: Basswood (Tilia caroliniana)

Fall color comes late to Northwest Louisiana. At the end of October most of the trees' foliage is still green. This week, the basswood is an exception; its leaves are light-green and yellow. The photos below were all taken today, which was remarkably warm and sunny. To compare, check out the photos here, to see what this tree looked like in the heat of summer.

The afternoon sun illuminates the yellow leaves of the basswood. To the left, we see the green leaves of the sweet-shrub (Calycanthus floridus) and the hybrid chestnut (Castanea dentata), and to the right we see the fallen leaves of the swamp white oak (Quercus michauxii) covering the gravel path.

The basswood is pictured to the left of the short, white wooden bridge. It's growing near a bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) and a stand of Hercules' club (Aralia spinosa).

Leaves turn pretty colors and then drop, revealing the structure of the trunk.

You can see that most leaves have turned, but the presence of some green ones indicates the change is happening right now.

These cordate leaves are lightly spotted and are a delightful shade of yellow.