Pat’s Wildways: Fall Colors at home in North Florida

I am always eager to go someplace to see fall colors. Sometimes I am up in New England, and sometimes closer to home in north Georgia, where the autumn leaves glow in colors of red, yellow and orange if you hit it just right. But this year we have traveled a lot recently and we just can’t manage another fall trip. So I started paying closer attention to the fall colors we have right here at home.

My own backyard reveals a fall palette of colors that I don’t often appreciate in my search for something “better.” But now, with my attention at home, I see how beautiful fall is right in my own world. First off, the wild sumac tree that came with our yard has been somewhat crowded out by the bald cypress trees we planted years ago, but, even if leaning, it provides a great fall show of red leaves and fruit. Behind these are red maples just beginning to show off their red leaves. Across the street, bordering a cleared lot, the maples have already changed into their fall colors, but by the time I got it together to photograph them, many of the leaves had already fallen. Oh well, my own backyard red maple show is still to come. And, wow, the three bald cypress trees we planted when we bought our home about 25 years ago now tower over our yard and pond. In the fall, their leaves turn a rusty orange, a beautiful sight for sure, especially next to the red bark of a crepe myrtle tree we planted too.

Driving through Fort Clinch State Park, the vines provide the best fall colors. The leaves of grape vines have turned bright yellow, making a fine contrast to the evergreen pines beneath them. But these are outdone by the vivid red color of the Virginia creeper plants that climb up wherever they can, including fence posts. At times, the Virginia creeper mingles with the red leaves of poison ivy. I am allergic to both of these plants and develop an itchy rash whenever I touch them. Although I avoid them, I do enjoy the color they add to the landscape in the fall. And that’s not the only color spottable at Fort Clinch right now. Two clumps of mushrooms on the trunk of a tree where a branch has been cut off are brilliantly yellow.

And at just the right time, in the golden light before sunset, the Spanish moss hanging from the trees glows a magnificent orange. And sunsets themselves — who can ignore the color that they provide each evening, especially when viewed from the west side of our island as the sun sets. It’s a show all its own, worthy of a photo nearly every evening.

Even our salt marshes show their fall colors if you take the time to look. As the weather cools, the salt marsh grasses like Spartina turn from their summer green to a golden color — a reason the “Golden Isles” just north of us got their name. On a recent walk out into the marshes down the boardwalk at Crane Island, the different marsh grasses all displayed various shades of green turning gold, and I look forward to return visits to see the colors as they change even further.

It’s been a treasure hunt for me this past week, looking for fall colors here at home. And the closer I look the more I see. I know that many people prefer to view the changing colors in areas north of us where reds, oranges and yellow foliage is a gaudy mix of colors. I enjoy this too. But really, there is nothing much better for me than to type this column on my bed while our new cat Melina dozes by my side and I can look out my window to see the colors right in my own backyard.

Life is good, as good as you make it. And I always aim to see the best that nature has to offer, wherever I am, even at home.

Pat Foster-Turley, Ph.D., is a zoologist on Amelia Island. She welcomes your nature questions and observations. patandbucko@yahoo.com