The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-10-02
CRIMSON LEAVES
DECK MOUNTAINS
Jack Frost the Reaper; Nature Lovers
the Cleaners.
MANY SPLENDID VARIETIES
g 'wlcAL CRYSTALS IN SAP
>AUsE BUDDY GLOW.

Although Jack Frost has hardly
made his presence felt in the valley
8he hills are every day giving more and
more evidence of his nightly visits
And yet, be it said with care, Jack T Ost
mas really little or nothing 10 do with
The turning of the beautiful leaves
with which he is yearly credited The
truth is the magnificence of their garb
is due to the fact that the sap has
ceased to supply them with sustenance
and the tiny chemical crystals with
Which it is filed cause the death of
the leaves in such a manner as to add
rich coloring to the cells of which they
are fun. This crystal deposit really
causes the death of the leaf, and all
That Jack Frost has done is 10 stand by
ana aid nature in her yearly task of
Kidding the deciduous trees Of their
burdens.
The mountains to the east are these
days mass of color, blazing bushes
standing out from the more sombre
tones. Although so perishable, unless
treated IN some special way, autumn
leaves are forming a large part of the
decorations for the home and for large
affairs at this season. And certainly
not many places with so little claim
10 be called wooded country offer a
richer harvest, at least i'm tie matter
or color, than does this city. Daily eX-
curSlOns 10 the canyons around are
made and enthusiasts, both big and
little, return. laden with the brilliant
.colored leaves.
Maple Leaves Sought.
The maple is perhaps the brightest
aud most commonly sought of amy of
{ L4e trees which are turning at this
Ffne. The maple. both the hard and
4 u .ft, offers greater variety i'm color
gFig, too, than any other of the native
frees, the leaves shading from d pale
yellow to the brightest scarlet. while
In a protected place ON perhaps the
same branch a few leaves of deep
green viii retain their color.
Next 20 the maple i'm point of favor
itism comes the shoemaker bob" or
sumac bush, which is not found in
such quantities or so readily as the
others. The sumas bush is low
growing plant in this region but its
leaves are of a deeper red than any
other to be found around here In
places where no other shrubbery is
found this bush will be seen. traced by
its deep rich crimson and its fern-like
leaves.
Oregon Grape Leaves Deep Red.
The small vine known as the Oregon
grape is another one of the deep red
varieties les thick, glossy leaves are
beautiful in the summer time when
their deep green is easily distin-
guished from the other greens sur
rounding them. But in the autumn
these heavy leaves take on rich car
dinal tinse, and, with the deep purple
Of the TINY grapes or berries, from
which the vine derives its name, make
lovely autumn trophies.
Where small groves of the slender
quaking asps have been left the leaves
present a wonderful picture of sunlight
for they take on tone that is a. near
sun color as anything IAN be. The eff
feet ON a bright day i'm late September
or October is of a mellow golden light
sifted through the quaking leaves. Not
many of these are TO be found in close
proximity 10 the city, but in the higher
spots in tire canyons they are well
worth visiting. The oaks which I'm other
lands change 10 a deep crimson, here
have no special autumn beauty save
that of all autumn things, the deep
brown. The oaks here are mere shrubs
instead of tall, stately trees OF the
wooded countries; and the season does
not seem to affect them until the early
SHOWS, when the leaves turn brown and
leathery.'
Some Are Pretty, But
\ few things there are which must
be avoided in the search for this aut-
imn beauty. One is the poison IVY.
a lovely cOloTed thing which twines
itself i'm among the scrub oaks and
llaunts its brilliancy only TO destroy.
The poison oak, akin to it. is not quite
30 common. II is similar TO the oak in
its appearance, but smaller.
But the leaves are not the only
autumn beauty 10 be found close at
hand these DAYS when
"All the lovely wayside things
Their white-Winged seeds are SOW
ing"
The cat tails that are left are the
tallest and finest of the late crop.
The dainty mtlkWeed pods holding their
seeds just ready for flight the tall.
stately goldeu-TOd, and the fringed
gentian, of which New England poets
never tired of singing. are all To be
found within easy walking distance Of
the city In the higher hills the pines
are laden with handsome cones. while
wild barberTies and deep red haws
on the wild rose bushes furnish q
wealth of color
"Earths full of Heaven, and every
common bush