Page Turner Peaks in Cupertino

A tree-lined green, south of the Cupertino Library, is a page-turner as good as any mystery novel inside the library.

The trees, as Xingsheng Qian notes, have the form of Chinese pistache but not the coloration. Hmm, what are they?

At this late date in autumn, Chinese pistache (pistacia chinensis) leaves would have turned bright pink, red, orange and yellow, not the golden-orange seen in Xingsheng’s photograph (above). Also, Chinese pistache might have already dropped their leaves, but these trees are at peak.

Wait a minute. Xingsheng included a second image and … Ah, it was not Colonel Mustard in the library with a candlestick. Those are Chinese pistache, after all. Oh, I’m sorry. Did I give the ending away?

Like many California cities, Cupertino has a tree planting program in which property owners may request a street tree. The city is encouraging the development of an urban forest by offering property owners the choice of 13 tree varieties, including several of our favorite street trees: Chinese pistache, Gingko biloba, London plane tree, Marina strawberry tree (evergreen but with colorful fruit in fall), Aristocrat and Chanticleer flowering pear, crepe myrtle, Chinese flame tree and autumn purple ash. Cupertino also has “themed streets” where specific varieties are planted for a more uniform and impressive display. As California cities discover the energy-saving value of urban forests, cities like Cupertino are becoming more beautiful and colorful in autumn.

• Cupertino (236′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!