I think it is fair to say that the summer is coming to an end. To be honest, I have been quietly anticipating autumn since I finished eating my last hot dog on the Fourth of July. And I am not alone in this premature preparation for the fall, especially considering the fact that one of the large sugar maples at the entrance to my parents’ driveway was starting to turn orange in the middle of June.
That being said, I heralded in summer by scoring and ranking rocks, the staples of Michigan beachcombing. For this week, let's continue in that tradition by scoring and ranking some staples of Michigan’s autumns, our colorful deciduous trees, and exploring a little bit about what makes those trees so special to our environment and history.
Black Walnut - Walnut is one of those woods that you are obligated to be impressed by, particularly in regard to woodworking or staining. During the fall, they turn a bright yellow color, with leaves that drop pretty early in the season. They are undoubtedly lovely plants in the autumn, but watch out! The bark and roots of the tree, including the dropped leaves, are natural herbicides, giving off a chemical known as juglone, which can harm other plants developing under the canopy. Considering that not only do their leaves drop early, but they can also be toxic to other plants, they seem like pretty sore losers to me. 4.5/10
American Basswood - Basswoods are known for their soft wood, easily harvested and worked into a variety of different products. They are primarily sought after for use in making instruments, particularly guitars! Which raises the question: is that why they are called “bass” woods? For the instrument and not the fish? Actually no, they are called such because traditionally Native Americans used their inner bark (or “bast”) for cords and ropes. So it’s just a fun coincidence. However, I don’t play guitar, and I've never liked how quickly they drop their yellow leaves, so it's a 5.5/10
Eastern Cottonwood - Sue me, I personally love when cottonwoods start seeding and their distinctive cottony seed hairs float through the air. It’s like snow, but I’m not risking frostbite cleaning them off my car. However, when we are considering how they are in autumn, well, they’re a pretty tree with a dependable, subtle yellow color. 6/10
Tulip Poplar - Remember, if we aren’t counting cottonwood’s seeds in the summer, we aren’t going to count tulip poplar’s spring blossoms, no matter how big and beautiful they are. What I will consider, however, are the autumn colors (a goldish-orange) and their leaves (wide and tulip-shaped in and of themselves). When they’re in full color, the size of their leaves has a way of giving them a saturated “pop” of color. 6.5/10
Bigtooth Aspen - Also known as "popples," these fast-growing and tall trees are a dime a dozen in Michigan, particularly on the farm where I grew up. They have almond-shaped leaves that typically turn a bright yellow or yellow-orange during fall. Perhaps one of the most distinctive qualities popples have is the way in which their leaves “quake” in the wind, a sort of fluttery motion (almost like jazz hands) that gives them a “shimmery” effect. As far as yellow-leaf trees go, however, the quaking really sets them apart, and thus, I’ll give them a 7/10.
American Beech - For the purposes of transparency, beech is already competing as a heavyweight in this matchup, as I grew up adoring several particular smooth-barked behemoth specimens in Oceana County (RIP to General Sherman, the beech tree that used to grow next to the parking lot at Hart Animal Clinic). However, as far as beeches in autumn go, they’re not the most dependable. Sometimes they are a vibrant copper color, and sometimes they turn barely yellow and scatter in the first big windstorm of the season. 7.5/10
Black Cherry - Black cherries turn a variety of colors in the fall, from gold, to orange to - my personal favorite - a gorgeous bright red. Out of all the colors leaves can turn, this shade of red is my personal favorite. Cherry is also highly prized as timber, and while I don’t know what the market rate is for cherrywood, I know to raise my eyebrows and go “oooh” when someone says their kitchen cabinets are cherry. 8/10
Red Oak - Remember when I was going on about how beautiful the red color that black cherry turns? Yeah, red oak takes that and turns it up to 11, enhancing the color to an intense crimson. Sometimes when I see these leaves, I have trouble believing that these bright colors can exist in nature. 9/10
Paper Birch - Oh boy, another heavy hitter. There’s very little that compares to a birch tree at the height of autumn, considering how, even as their leaves blend into a sea of orange and gold, their stark white bark shines like a beacon across a field. Birch has a long history of use by Native Americans, particularly in the construction of canoes and wigwams by the Ojibwe of Michigan. Birches are not just beloved by us humans, but also by wildlife such as deer and moose, for whom the bark is an integral part of their diet in the wintertime. 9.5/10
Sugar Maple - So there are quite a few maples on my parents’ farm, especially along the driveway. When I went to school in Georgia, my mom always made sure that I didn’t miss watching their gradual change of color, sending me photos pretty much daily. Again, who can compete with that bright orange-to-red gradient of color on their leaves? And that’s not even considering the historical importance of the sugar maple’s timber and sap for both Native Americans and European settlers. The only downside? The Canadians claimed the maple first. 9.75/10
