Catalpa Leaves

 The weather is still warm but the catalpa in our yard is telling us that we are moving into autumn. Those big leaves are losing chlorophyl. A map of bright green veins remain, showing how the leaves nourish themselves. This brief time is when they look the most beautiful. Our catalpa does not make a graceful and colorful transition into winter. Instead, those very large leaves shrivel, turn brown from the edges in, then drop, leaving a tangle of bare spreading branches. But for a few more days, we will have those bright green veins.