Climate change and a severe drought seem to have convinced November to try some of October’s tricks here. Especially impressive are the final performances of wild tamaracks (aka eastern larches, hackmatacks), shown above, and the cultivated Japanese maple trees, shown below:
As you probably know, the tamaracks (Larix laricina) are conifers (cone-bearing trees) with green needles in the spring and summer. From a distance in the warm months, they look like spruce, firs, and other conifers that are evergreen. But, in the cold fall or early winter, the tamaracks reveal their secret deciduous nature: their needles turn yellow and then fall like golden rain.
The Japanese maples (Acer palmatum), of course, are straight-forward deciduous (leaf-dropping) trees that come in many varieties. On some of these trees, just before their red leaves fall, they get even redder – they turn a fiery scarlet color. This is one of the reasons why they’re called “The Autumn-Welcoming Tree” in Japan, where they’re cherished and even digested. The ancient delicacy momiji tempura is made of tempura-battered, deep-fried maple leaves that have been preserved in salt.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on November 11 [tamarack] and 12 [maple], 2025.)