From the Archives: Austin turns crimson, yellow and gold in fall, but only briefly
Your eyes do not deceive you.
Sometimes, briefly, Central Texas can look a bit like New England. Depending on the temperature, moisture and other conditions from previous months, flashes of crimson, yellow and gold can peek out from Austin-area trees and shrubs by late September or early October.
The full blaze of colors usually arrives during the first weeks of November. Among the area trees that produce the deepest hues are bigtooth maples, flameleaf sumacs, red oaks and bald cypresses. (We planted specimens of the first three indigenous varieties in our gardens years ago and have never been disappointed.)
Among the best places to view fall foliage in the city are the 10-mile Butler Hike and Bike Trail, Zilker Botanical Gardens and St. Edward's greenbelt, which is not anywhere near St. Edward's University, but rather near the upper reaches of Bull Creek off Spicewood Springs Road.
But really, any greenbelt will do. The ones inscribed along the edge of the Edwards Plateau, such as the Barton Creek greenbelt, are often the most dramatic because of the creekside bald cypresses.
The most spectacular fall foliage in the region can be found less than three hours away at Lost Maples State Natural Area northwest of San Antonio. The park's namesakes are the bigtooth maples that cluster in the canyons near the headwaters of the Sabinal River. The natural area posts a fall foliage color report on its website, or you can call for a recorded report at 1-830-966-3413, option 3.
During one of the past ice ages, these maples proliferated around Texas. Once the climate grew hotter, the remnants concentrated in the cool canyons of the Hill Country. If you plant one in Austin, make sure it gets plenty of sun, but not too much. Like the more famous maples of North America, they can easily survive a long, hard freeze.
By December, the last of the traditional autumnal hues have disappeared. Leaves that cling to deciduous trees, or rustle in heaps at their trunks, make do with subtle shades of brown. While Austin has few pines, firs or spruces, many of its trees and shrubs remain green through winter.
Live oaks play the role of tricksters. They are not evergreens. Yet they wait to drop their leaves in great quantities between March and early May. A new set simultaneously replaces the old.
As always, treat fallen leaves as soil, not litter. Compost them or turn them into the loosened dirt at the base of the shorn trees. Lastly, in the kindest way possible, leave the gas-powered leaf blowers in the garage or, better yet, unopened on store shelves. Your peace-loving neighbors will thank you.
