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A Colorful Ending

American smoketree (Cotinus obovatus), UC Berkeley Botanical Garden (11/30/20) Sandy Steinman

Weather has been kind to fall color this autumn, allowing it to last and last and last, right to its colorful ending.

  • Japanese maple, UC Berkeley Botanical Garden (11/30/20) Sandy Steinman
  • Japanese maple, UC Berkeley Botanical Garden (11/30/20) Sandy Steinman
  • Cotinus, UC Berkeley Botanical Garden (11/30/20) Sandy Steinman
  • American beautyberry, UC Berkeley Botanical Garden (11/30/20) Sandy Steinman
  • Japanese maple, UC Berkeley Botanical Garden (11/30/20) Sandy Steinman

At the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden, Sandy Steinman found American smoketree (Continus obovatus) brilliantly toned in crimson, orange, green and yellow; American beautyberries robed in purple, and Japanese maple leaves as confections of red, magenta, orange, pink and yellow.

  • Gingko biloba, Conejo Valley Botanic Garden(11/28/20) Kathy Jonokuchi
  • Hong Kong orchid, Conejo Valley Botanic Garden (11/28/20) Kathy Jonokuchi

Similar vibrant display are appearing in Southern California where Kathy Jonokuchi found golden yellow gingko leaves and hot pink Honk Kong orchid at the Conejo Valley Botanic Garden.

Nuttall’s woodpecker, Conejo Valley Botanic Garden (11/28/20) Kathy Jonokuchi
  • Western Sycamore, Sunol Regional Wilderness (11/28/20) Salil Bhatt
  • Valley Oak, Sunol Regional Wilderness (11/28/20) Salil Bhatt
  • Western sycamore, Sunol Regional Wilderness (11/28/20) Salil Bhatt
  • Western Sycamore, Sunol Regional Wilderness (11/28/20) Salil Bhatt

Finally, Salil Bhatt made my day by submitting these images and scoring a First Report for the Sunol Regional Wilderness where valley oak and western sycamore have just crested peak.

Salil points out that the Sunol Regional Wilderness, in the mountains east of Silicon Valley, is one of a few areas where significant collections of winter deciduous native trees can be seen at peak in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Wilderness is east of Milpitas and south of Sunol on Calaveras Rd.

  • UC Berkeley Botanical Garden (171′) – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, You Almost Missed It!
  • Conejo Valley Botanic Garden, Thousand Oaks (886′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
  • Sunol Regional Wilderness, Sunol (500′) – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, You Almost Missed It!
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