Autumn in the Midwest may not be as awe-inspiring as the hardwoods of New England or the Aspens of Colorado, but she has her moments here. Rather than grand vistas of hills covered with trees bursting with color, our foliage is a bit more subdued, but beautiful, nevertheless. Case in point is this simple Bradford Pear tree. The leaves are not complex, yet they produce complex colors, unlike the stately maples which positively reek with the same vibrant color all at once. And, the maple leaf is a legend-the symbol of our neighbor to the north.

Same tree, but different colored leaves. Like a Dr. Suess book, this pear tree has red leaves and green ones, yellow leaves and red ones, orange and speckled, too! One tree, but with a variety of colored splendor. Don’t you wish the world had a bit more color and less grays? I do.