This is one Mean Old Lady!

This is one Mean Old Lady!
Self-portrait: 'Quilter on Fire'

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Fall comes to Conway




The severe drought is having an impact on our part of the state; trees that normally blaze up in Fall colors are simply going brown.  (Others are blazing up in fact, as wildfires proliferate.)  However, people with lawn sprinklers are faring a bit better.  






There are some bright spots in our own yard, in fact.  This volunteer is one I have protected from harm and nurtured along for several seasons as it has grown.  While I haven't watered too much in the yard (it's sink or swim, I'm afraid) we did make sure that The Brave Little Dogwood got weekly attention. 





Here you can see its color developing from one week to the next.  


There is a second volunteer dogwood behind the live oak that shades this area.  







Poison ivy also turns an attractive bronze-red, but I patrol the yard and eliminate that when it inevitably appears.  (Birds love its berries and 'import' the seeds.)




I have one other favorite here in the yard--also a volunteer. 



Do you know this tree?  
(DH continues to baffle me by not recognizing any common trees, let alone those that are less-often seen.  I have patiently shown him the distinguishing features of dogwoods and redbuds--both distinctive even when winter-bare, but he contends that 'they all look alike.'

Hint:  its roots have been used for tea or as flavoring for root-beer.


Does this close-up help?  
Notice that the leaves may have two or three lobes OR just the single 'standard leaf shape.'  And isn't the color pretty?







If you guessed SASSAFRAS, you know your trees!
This sapling is now about 6 feet tall.  I believe it will do well and ultimately shade the corner of the yard.  




I hope that Fall is lovely where you are!

3 comments:

  1. I wonder if your volunteer dogwood will bloom. It's hanging in there, though! And thanks for showing me a Sassafras Tree. My grandmother had a spectacular specimen in Sulphur Springs - way up in the NW corner of Arkansas. I don't remember seeing them in central Ark. I'll be on the lookout for them now.

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  2. I recognized that sassafras right away. We have a bunch of them in our yard, and a week ago I made a sassafras leaf my profile picture on Facebook. I might change it to a dogwood leaf w/ berries. I just took a picture of that today. The leaves are solid red right now. We have had volunteer dogwoods too, and yours will definitely bloom. Ours did.

    We are having a pretty colorful fall here in Asheville. It has been dry, but I guess we had enough rain to keep most of the trees happy.

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  3. Hi Elaine,
    I'm glad I found your blog again...before leaving for my trip to Eastern Europe I deleted a lot of stuff to clean up my laptop, and inadvertantly deleted the link to your blog - ack!

    Managed to find it again, nice to "read" you again : )
    hugs, Patricia in BC (from Wordplay)
    (glad to see you are still writing!)

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