The foliage on the way to the park was absolutely breathtaking. It always seems that the leaves on the trees wait until mid to late November to change colors in that neck of the woods. I assume it's because it doesn't get cold until around that time. I sat down by the lake and decided to start writing because water is the ultimate inspiration. I couldn't think of anything to say, so I decided to just take a walk and see what I could find. I walked into the woods for probably 10 minutes then stumbled upon this beautiful little duo of trees.
What first struck me about these two trees is that they have the exact same structure and type of leaves, but the colors are so different. After a little bit of research, I found that they are both young Sweet Gum (Liquidambar Styraciflua) trees. The leaves of the Sweet Gum are green all year until Autumn when they turn a bright reddish orange color. These particular trees look like they started their life at around the same time, but one has yet to realize it is Autumn.
The Sweet Gum tree was one of the first trees I learned about when I was a child. Growing up in the country, I spent a lot of time outdoors, most of the time with no shoes on. That led to the quick and painful discovery of the Sweet Gum's fruit. I sat and watched these trees for several minutes, reminiscing on the memories of my childhood and thinking about the similarities between these two trees and the people I grew up with. Ultimately, it is our experiences and subtle differences in our lives that shape us into who we are. I can't wait to go back and check on these trees next month.
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