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Backyard Beauty

Pomegranate, Long Beach (9/25/20) Steve Shinn

Quarantined by the Covid-19 pandemic and noxious wildfire smoke, Steve Shinn found beauty in his Long Beach backyard.

  • Apple, Long Beach (9/25/20) Steve Shinn
  • Hachiya persimmon, Long Beach (9/25/20) Steve Shinn

Autumn is the season of harvest and often overlooked are fruiting trees, like persimmon, apples and pomegranates which brighten farm trails and urban gardens.

Northern Mockingbird and Hachiya persimmon (9/25/20) Steve Shinn

Many of the fruit trees attract birds, which adds to the autumn show.

  • Sweetgum, Long Beach (9/25/20) Steve Shinn
  • Sweetgum impressions, Long Beach (9/25/20) Steve Shinn

Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) are beginning to color up, across the state. I was at Jenkinson Lake at Sly Park (US 50) yesterday and found them splashed with hints of ruby, vermillion and gold. They are a long-lasting show, particularly when their leaves fall upon wet concrete. As Steve notes, “they make a memorable image.”

  • Long Beach (52′) – Just Starting (0-10%)
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