You probably know to give credit to the maple trees for the spectacular reds and flaming oranges that adorn the Almaguin and Muskoka hills from early-September to mid-October. But as October winds down, the maple leaves dance down from their treetops to carpet the forest floor instead. You might think this means the end of the colour show for the season, but think again.
After the maple display ends, the tamaracks, birches and poplars take the stage and grace us with a golden encore. Their colour range is smaller--ranging from bright yellow to rich gold--but a striking sight nonetheless against the deep green of the coniferous backdrop. Even the grasses, ferns and undergrowth take on tawny and coppery hues. On a sunny day, the world around us simply glows.
Tamaracks are interesting trees. They have the conical shape and needly look of a typical evergreen tree in the summer, but in the fall their needles turn golden yellow and then shed like leaves. Tamaracks spend the winter looking like barren spikes before coming back to life in the spring in a fresh burst of green.
Thank you to our guests, Pedro & Ursula (and Ruby, pictured above), for use of these pictures. Pedro worked his usual magic behind the camera during the Thanksgiving weekend, as the maples were wrapping up their act and the tamaracks were just getting started.
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