<< Back 10/30/02 The Naturalist's Corner By Don Hendershot Ahh, the intricacies of color season. Peak may be passing under the cover of clouds and fog. Peak may not be as “peaky” as last year. The reds may not be as red. But golds might glow in the mist like candles in the fog. A warm, wet Indian Summer has slowed the turning of the leaves this autumn and brought us a season of rich muted tones. Few things are set in stone regarding leaf season. You can be sure that leaves will turn and fall. You can be sure that if you watch it, it will reveal beauty and hints of the mysteries of nature. And you can be sure that this leaf season was different from last and next year will be different from this year. Leaf season is a gumbo. There are myriad ingredients that may be combined in any number of ratios, order and fashion. Add the roux first. No add the roux last. Have an early cold snap. Have a mild autumn. Good gumbo is easy to make. Terrific gumbo is not that difficult. But no two terrific gumbos are ever the same. The same chef with the same ingredients can never make identical pots of gumbo. The same trees on the same mountains will never produce the same color season. Some of the factors that influence foliage color include edaphic or soil conditions, the health of the particular tree, the amount of sunlight, the amount of moisture, temperature, genetic traits of a particular tree and then the interactions involving pigments, chemicals and hormones. There is no way all these factors will ever be exactly the same. You can go to the same market and buy red onions from the same grower but the one you put in the last pot of gumbo may have been just a tad sweeter than the one you bought for the next pot. And what about the filé? What if the sassafras leaves were picked to soon? Too late? And what about the autumn leaves of the sassafras. The right conditions; the right day length; the right temperature can produce crimson sassafras leaves. Slightly different conditions may produce rosy or orange leaves. Leaf season is gumbo for the soul. The reds and golds; the deep, almost purple of the sourwood, spiced by a golden hickory can nourish the spirit and feed the soul the way a hearty bowl of gumbo poppin with flavors nourishes the body. Here’s an exercise. Find a favorite autumn tree. You know, the one that makes you change your route to work every October just so you can watch the leaves change. When you think this tree is at peak, take a photograph. Put the photo away. Do the same thing for the next couple of years. After three years or so compare the photos and see if the tree was identical at peak. And don’t let the clouds and mist dampen your spirits. Clouds twined around a kaleidoscope of maples, birches and sourwoods can present you with vistas you will never see on a clear day. And never eat only chicken gumbo. (Don Hendershot can be reached at don@smokymountainnews.com)