Everybody should own a tree at this time of year. Or a valley full of trees, or a whole hillside. Not legally, in the formal way of “Know all men . . .” and “heirs and assigns” written on a paper; but in the way that one comes to own a tree by seeing it at the turn of the road, or down the street, or in a park, and watching it day after day, and seeing color come to its leaves. That way it is your tree whenever you choose to pass that way, and neither fence nor tile can take it away from you. And it will be yours as long as you remember.

Hal Borland, “A Tree of Your Own”, New York Times, October 8, 1950

I’ve been getting acquainted with some new individual trees and plants on my walks around our new neck of the woods. The walnut tree in the sketch above lives at the edge of the woods just beyond our yard, and I can see it out the workshop window. In the spring, it was the favorite perch for a talkative catbird. I’m looking forward to getting to know this walnut tree better over the years. Its green summer leaves are just a touch more yellowish now.

Green is still holding on strong, but the signs of Autumn are showing up every day on my walks, along with the welcome cooler temperatures. Later in the same essay I quoted above, Hal Borland wrote, “And a sour gum is a thrilling tree to own, for its reds and oranges are like no other tree that grows.” There are several nice sour gums (Nyssa sylvatica) I’m getting to know here. They’re just beginning to light up. I snapped the photo above yesterday.

Here’s a nice red sour gum leaf standing out among its fellows.

I don’t know if it gets any redder than the spicebush berries. Give a leaf or a berry a squeeze and be treated to a refreshing spicy scent.

Of course, there are other colors ahead of the trees at this time of the year. The fields and woodlot edges have been shining with goldenrod blooms for weeks. All sorts of pollinators have been gorging on them lately.

Pokeweed stems shout out in impossible pink.

The asters are more subtle with their soft violet petals. Kristin told me today as we walked past that they’re September’s birth flower. Makes sense.

And I like these ones with their 1/8″ petals. They abound at the edge of the soybean field. It’s either Smartweed or Lady’s Thumb. I don’t know. I usually call them “the little pink ones at the edge of the bean field.”

The trees will really steal the show next month. I’ll keep an eye on my walnut tree.