I love when fall comes to Southern California’s San Bernardino Mountains (where I live) so I make it a game with myself to look for the first signs of autumn knocking on the door. Usually, it starts showing up around Labor Day weekend but sometimes, if you keep your eyes peeled, you can spot it earlier than that.
A young golden maple growing out of a rocky ledge along California Highway 18 is saying fall is near.
This week not only did I spot the first hint of fall but I captured it for you in this photo I took on Monday, solar eclipse day. It’s a photo of a young golden maple growing out of a rocky ledge along California Highway 18 just west of the Crestline turnoff for Highway 138. Transition is the word for it. Some leaves are still green, some golden yellow while a few show a blend of yellow and green.
Golden maples are some of the first trees to turn color up here, with the oaks some of the last. Of course, I love the dogwood. Their fall colors remind me of the sherbets I enjoyed as a boy. Some leaves turn an orange sherbet color while others go more of a raspberry sherbet hue. These autumn treats are still ahead for us.
I know we still have a month to go before the autumnal equinox, which will be on Sept. 22, but nature doesn’t go by the Gregorian calendar. In my recent travels around the Inland Empire, I’ve also noticed the deciduous California sycamore trees in the valley have lost some of the bright green glow in their pointed leaves. They’re showing more of a dull green, which will transition to a yellow green as fall gets closer, then yellow and finally, brown.
I love summer, don’t get me wrong. But fall brings so many wonderful treats for me, including crisper mornings, leaves all turning bright reds or gold, a chance to bring out the sweaters I’ve patiently kept tucked away and finally, a fire in the fireplace. I can smell the wood smoke already.
