Change is Beautiful

     Throughout this week, walking along a new path around my apartment complex, which now starts near the bus stop, change is everywhere.  The weather is shifting from an innocent breeze to violent winds, lashing out powerful blows.  The temperatures are decreasing by every second, enough to make early morning frost.  More birds are migrating from all directions, gliding across the blue canvas.  Other trees have become bare and most have shed their golden to maroon crisp dried leaves, littering the yellow dead grass.  As for the Rowans, they are still strong for mostly keeping their leafy mane, while a few are unfortunately left bald, looking naked in the autumn season.

     During my walk on the new path, I crossed paths with these twin red berried Rowans, who are mostly prone to subside in an area void of sunlight, which is quite unusual that they are still able to grow around at,"...0 to 40 feet tall."(Sorbus).  This is due to the fact that this type of Rowan species are,"...very tolerant of droughts, nor is it well adapted to warmer habitats; it is intolerant of shade." (Sorbus).  Judging by their foliage, they are also changing their darkly shaded green color to a much more welcoming warm color of smart orange.  Their leaves are blended with a mix of green and orange, producing a faded lime hue.  The very top of these trees are dyed in a fiery orange, which goes down in each level of the warm and cool color mixture.  In the shade, the two are decorated with ornamental berries that flared a dangerous crimson red, like seeing sphere-like droplets of pure red food dye that hung on the branches.  Then I proceeded to go to the first Rowan, whose leaves are molting.  The foliage that the tree bears is completely styled in the warm blend of autumn colors.  They would fall with every passing moment, while some merely grasped on the branches, like someone who is desperately holding on to their dear life.  I looked up close and saw the fruit that are too wrinkled and shriveled to eat.  Below me, are the leaves that shattered like glass, and berries grinded down into flakes.  With every small step, sounds of crunches, clicks, and clacks are heard.

Welcome to the team, Rowan Twins.

      Making my way towards the so called "Rowan Society" the community of these trees have gloriously donned the new look of autumn orange, yellow, and red.  Surprisingly as well as the red-berried trees, who seemed to have been convinced to change its foliage.  Its leaves are mixed with orange and green, similar to the twin Rowans.  Upon looking at the captivating sight of the nature changing before my eyes, something clicked inside my mind.  I wondered what these trees will look like in the winter and spring.  Do they undergo some type of process to regain what they lost?  This is when I needed to research about the Rowans.

      As I arrived to the designated area, near the mailboxes, I settled my eyes on the Rowans.  A few have aged itself for the winter, with leaves that mostly shed from the trees.  The withering, shriveling, and dying berries hung like Christmas decorations, as if the Rowans are preparing for the festive holiday.  In fact, they could be like a small Christmas feast for birds, since the berries,"...are an important food supply for birds in the winter because they do not fall off the tree..." (Bowen).

      Later I paid another visit to the bus stop Rowans, with one on the left, who is all dressed up in orange foliage, while on my right, the Wounded Wood is left in the changing process.  The left Rowan lost a bit of its leaves and a few berries.  None of the less, it is adorned with plump and slightly ripe berries for the peckish little birds.  Shifting my focus to the Wounded Wood,  I examined it closer.  The leaves faded into a yellow-lime green color, and each small,"...alternate and compound with 13 to 17 elliptical, toothed leaflets," they are curling up (Bowen).  Taking a moment to look at this tree, my mind seemed to flashback a partial memory of seeing this tree in the winter and spring.  In the winter, they stood in the rigid, dull, frozen, and yet peaceful atmosphere, being iced with frost, and later smothered with a blanket of plush snow.  All the leaves have departed for the winter, until they return as small little buds, that would break,"...once a green leaf tip is visible at the end of the bud..."(Sorbus).  Then in the spring, I remembered seeing small delicate and beautifully crafted white flowers that bloomed in that very tree.  I would pick up my sister at the bus stop, pass by the tree, and couldn't help but bask at the floral artwork, until we later become quite upset for their short life span.  Then again it is the early stage for the berries, starting off as,"...large clusters of white,1/4 inch., flat-topped flowers bloom in May and early June...", later the berries are,"...reddish-orange and ripen in August or September..."(Bowen).  However, thinking about it, I still can't believe how I can be such a moron when remembering something that is like a blessing.

Nature's Artwork (Sorbus americana)

      After getting the opportunity to look at how much is changing and researching the Rowans, I am quite thankful.  Everything may eventually die, along with their beauty, but it is just a cycle of life.  However, with enough patience it is all worth waiting for, seeing new leaves berries, features, and maybe even early floral.  Each in every passing moment something new will happen, which lets nature express itself in a very unique way.  Not everything can stay beautiful, because change will happen.  It's like a human growing up, and while experiencing new things as they evolve.  It is the experience that counts in not just nature, but life itself, making change beautiful.

Work Cited

Bowen, Melissa. "Sorbus americana". Americana Mountain Ash. Plant Biology,12 March 2004.Web. 11 Nov. 2014. http://wwwpub.naz.edu/~treewalk/north_tree_walk/sorbus_americana/index.htm



"Sorbus americana". Nature's Notebook. N.p. Web 15 Nov. 2014.
     https://www.usanpn.org/nn/Sorbus_americana


"Sorbus americana in spring flower." Digital image. Photoshelter. Plant & Flower Stock Photography: Garden Photos.com, N.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. http://gardenphotoscom.photoshelter.com/image/I0000FpVlQ2Q_p4g

Fall Flora Fashion

     Fall has finally arrived, expressing it in the vast surrounding that I see around the apartments.  Walking in the ever changing weather, the sky would show a clear view of brilliant blue, a cloudy airbrush of white, or into a depressing pervading haze of grey.  On other times, the clouds that are shaded a dark gray looked like they,"...threatened to consume the whole sky..."(Observation Notes, Day 34).  Sudden gusts of wind would blow intensely, and a few signs of rain would sprinkle upon the land.  This season of autumn is a time where plants begin to die as their beauty fade away, preparing to hibernate in the harsh winter.  The leaves of other trees are decorated with the colors ranging from dark maroons, while others consisted of dry sandy yellows.  Falling, these little crisp blades flutter in the wind from side to side, and eventually settle gently upon the cold hard ground. This a process that will continue, until the trees leaf-like plumage is naturally plucked out one by one. Birds, flying in a plane formation, would migrate from north, south, east, and west early, trying to arrive to their preferred destination and staying there overwinter, like people on winter break, who want to travel in order to spend time with their families.

      Fall for the Rowans, in my view, is like a new fashion statement for them to follow.  The first tree, however, slowly transformed its leaves into a bronze yellow from the bottom, and on the top is a mix of green and oranges. They still hung on the branches, until it is the right time for them to detach and drop down. Its orange berries still grasped desperately on their stems, while some lie on the ground, rotting away and later being decomposed.  They appear shriveled and wrinkled like a monkey's paw, a picture seen on the cover art from the short story "The Monkey's Paw".  Then as I walked into the Rowan tree community, I stepped into a society consisting mostly of orange berried trees, who wanted to follow the new fall fashion.  They all progressively turned their leaves into the warm colors of autumn, like orange, yellow, and red.  However, the red berried trees seemed to refuse to part take this latest trend.

"The Monkey's Paw". Digital Image. (White, Jeff. "The Monkey's Paw". N.d. 10,Nov. 2014. Web. creepypasta.wikia.com )

      Strolling around the Rowans near the mailboxes, I noticed that most of the trees have beaten the Rowan community, in fact the red berried trees even contributed.  They are beautifully dressed for the changing season it is like seeing a fine gentleman and a elegant lady dressed for a party.  Their leaves are dyed in are blend of oranges, yellows, and a small amount of a dashing red.  It is as if the trees,"...wanted to imitate the sun's color palettes."(Observation Notes, Day 32).  In the sun, the trees glowed like fire in a fireplace, warming up the mood in the atmosphere around me.  However, a few Rowans unfortunately have contracted a case of a balding problem as their leaves slowly fall out every minute. Besides the fact that they are on the verge of becoming leafless, these Rowans are still decorated with their red and orange berries.  In fact, I researched that these berries can last until winter, then they will all fall off.

The well-dressed Rowans.

     Lastly in this spread of fall fever, the Rowans near the bus stop didn't much progress in changing their leaves.  The Rowan to my left the leaves have marks of yellow and little orange, while most is a mixture of yellow and green.  Some even seemed to have brittle itself just enough to make it break with one touch.  Looking up at the round bundles of fruit, I've noticed that they wrinkled a bit, but is still ripe enough to eat.  Transitioning my eyes to my right, I saw that the wounded wood didn't seem to change.  The leaves are still colored a young green and the berries are plump as ever.  It is as if this tree is like a stubborn child not wanting to dress up a little fancy, or that it was nourished by the waters of the fountain of youth.  Then again, after a minor time skip, the tree's leaves have been marked with a pale yellow on the tips, the small branch had started to have its leaves dried up like a chip, curling up in the process, but the berries remained intact.

     It brings me joy to see these Rowans evolve and play around with colors.  The idea of them turning into warm colors for this fall season brushed off a bit of warmth on me as I walked through a cold day.  In fact, my mind is set on whether they are doing a fashion competition due to their new look on their leaves.  I do wish to continue setting my eyes on these Rowans observing them and their surroundings, because they simply intrigue me.  As time goes on, I will wonder who will walk down the runway early for the fashion of winter, and to see that I must keep watching.