Fall Leaf Colors

The beauty of Fall leaves is that each is unique - little different color, maybe different shape, maybe a small notch out of the corner. I call this type of maple a Swamp Maple. Technically it is a Red Maple. It is different than a Sugar Maple with slightly simpler leaves. I don't call it a Red Maple because people often refer to Japanese Maples as Red Maples. Japanese Maples have red leaves all year. Red Maples have green leaves that only change in the Fall.

This striking purple leaf is a Hobblebush. It is a very common native plant in Vermont sometimes called Moosewood or Moosebush.

Beech trees turn a bright yellow and again are very common in Vermont.

The deep purple with yellow or geen veins of the Hobblebush is very beautiful this time of year.

All of these photos were taken on my recent hike to Abbey Pond in Addison County, Vermont.

The Swamp Maple was the dominant Maple in the area I hiked.

All these Maple Leaf photos are Swamp Maples.

As the name implies, Swamp Maples will grow in poor soil conditions and are often found in swampy areas.

But the Swamp Maple is very adaptive and will grow about anywhere.

Swamp Maples have a lower sugar content in their sap so maple sugar makers prefer the Sugar Maple which is the most common tree in Vermont. You can tap Swamp Maples but you have to boil down the sap longer to make maple syrup.