Fall Foliage

The high temperature here today (December 19th) was 77 degrees Fahrenheit.  It was quite warm.  Hard to imagine we had snow and ice not long ago.  Tricia and I sat on the front porch in rocking chairs and had afternoon coffee.  Quite relaxing.  I'm going to miss this life of leisure once I go back to work! 

As we were watching birds flying from tree to tree, we noticed leaves falling from the trees.  The pecan trees only have a few leaves left, but many of the water oak leaves have yet to fall.  The live oaks, being evergreen, replace all their leaves in the early spring.  They'll hold their green leaves all winter long.  One thing about fall in Louisiana, is that if you want to see beautiful colors of fall foliage, you'd better schedule a trip somewhere.  The changing colors just aren't that striking.  Of course the cypress trees turn a reddish-rust color, and you certainly can't forget the lowly "Chicken Tree" or Chinese Tallow Tree.  Those leaves get real pretty.  Other than that, I'm drawing a blank...

We do have some Japanese Maple trees planted in our landscaping and although my photos don't do it justice, the green leaves turn a beautiful red color around this time each year.  Check it out:

The red leaves contrasted against the bright green leaves of the citrus trees in the background make a nice showing, in my opinion.  If you look closely in the photo above, you can even see satsumas on the tree on the left behind the Japanese maple.

We have six of these trees in all.  Here's a smaller one by the front door with bright red leaves.

Our seasons don't last for long, though.  As soon as the leaves change color, they drop to the ground very quickly.  The red leaves that adorned the trees soon lay on the ground and fade away.

Some of the leaves also fall and get lodged in the bright green juniper leaves that grow at the base of the Japanese maples.

As it turns out, I guess we don't have to venture off the front porch to view fall foliage.