Fall is in the Air!

   My wife and I walk every day in our community called Dresden Woods.. In NW Greensboro near the Guilford College campus are many heavily wooded neighborhoods with quiet safe streets to walk on. They are shaded in the summer and like all of the Piedmont country, the roads are hilly and curving. We love the many varieties of hardwoods in the area that tower 60-70 feet high in the communities we walk through. There are White Oaks, Black Jack Oaks, Willow Oaks, Maples, Tulip Poplars, Walnuts and Ironwood just in my yard. Then of course we have the state tree of North Carolina, the Long Needle Pine.
   I don't know if you are familiar with trees, but hardwoods like those listed above have deep tap roots that hold them straight and tall during  high winds. On the other hand, pine trees are notorious for shallow root systems that spread out and often are not stable during a wind storm. You might say, the pines are the first to go; not that hardwoods don't blow over, it just takes a much stronger wind or a diseased tree to topple a hardwood.
   The autumnal transition is a conspicuous change in the lay of the land. The pre-curser to the leaves changing is the annual parade of acorns that come pelting down for the first two weeks in October. While walking the streets, we have to dodge a barrage of missiles careening from the arbor of tall trees. Great leafy limbs release their payloads for two weeks prior to the leaves beginning to turn into their glorious fall colors. While walking down the streets you crunch on the nuts that lay in a thick carpet before you. The squirrels run about in a frenzy gathering all they can carry. It is a bountiful harvest that keeps them alive during the coming winter. As you lay in bed, or as you are watching television you hear acorns pounding on your roof or on your cars left in the driveway. It is the crescendo of drums leading up to the great splash of vibrant colors that will open in Act II.
    In mid-October something magical begins. The Fall display of color begins in earnest and lasts till mid-November. As a native born Texan, I was awe-struck when I moved here 22 years ago, and I remain inspired every year when the season changes again. I look forward with great anticipation, to see what transpires over the next few weeks.
   I'll share a few pictures later this month of this year's grand finale. Here is a teaser from a previous Fall!