COLORFUL OCTOBER SUBURBS

     One sunny, cool afternoon this October, I drove around my home town of New Holland in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to look for beauties of autumn in that town's human-made suburbs.  A crisp breeze indicated that fall definitely prevailed and nature is still in charge.  And I felt the life, the wild of nature within a mile of home.   

     Striking colored leaves on planted deciduous trees, including red foliage on red maples, bright-orange leaves on sugar maples, maroon and yellow foliage on white ashes, and yellow on honey locusts, were the most obvious of autumn beauties on my excursion around town.  Those cheery, autumn leaves certainly illuminated and brightened New Holland, and were enjoyed by many people.

     Evergreen spruce trees and white pines offer dark backgrounds to colored, deciduous leaves.  And those conifers literally emerge from behind falling curtains of deciduous foliage.

     During October, white pine trees noticeably appear unhealthy because half their needles are beige-colored and dead.  Each needle on white pines lives a year and a half.  Therefore, needles that grew on twigs in May, 2021, die in October of 2022.  But needles that grew in May of 2022, won't die until October of 2023.  The pines, then, are forever green, even though half their needles blanket the ground beneath them every October, and into winter.    

     The commonly planted burning bushes were resplendent in their red leaves.  They are well-named because they do seem to be consumed in red flames.

     I saw a few lovely vines each of poison ivy and Virginia creepers climbing trees, walls and fences in back parts of some lawns.  Poison ivy sported a medley of red, yellow and orange autumn foliage, but  creeper vines had red leaves only.  Still, both those vines added much beauty to autumn.

     Other plants were decorated with lovely berries or berry-like fruits.  Deadly nightshade vines were laden with bright red berries.  Crabapple trees were decorated with small, red or yellow fruits.  And red juniper trees were attractive with many pale-blue, berry-like cones.  The interesting fruits of these plants, plus poison ivy and Virginia creepers, are winter food for rodents and berry-eating birds through that harsh season.  

     A couple of black walnut trees, that were almost devoid of foliage, dropped several green-husked nuts on a street.  Vehicles running over those nuts crushed them and exposed the meat inside to hungry gray squirrels and American crows who will eat that food off the street, between passing vehicles. 

     Walks and porches were decorated with orange cow pumpkins, multi-colored gourds and mums of various colors.  They all help enhance the look and feel of fall.  

     Lovely, purple aster and goldenrod blooms still enhanced certain flower gardens in New Holland.  Their purple and yellow flowers are a beautiful combination in autumn. 

     There was much autumn beauty in New Holland in October, as there is in every nearby town, every year.  And that fall decor is another example of people enjoying nature, God's creation.           

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