I was going to call this "Autumn colours", but then I reread Douglas Justice's blog at October in the Garden 2023 - UBC Botanical Garden, in which he says "This time, I want to focus on the less colourful, but no less interesting Sorbus relatives". He did, however, start with the Hubei mountain ash, Sorbus pseudohupehensis west of the Roseline Sturdy Amphitheatre, which is "putting on a not-to-be-missed performance this year". No fooling. Too bad there is no way for us non-garden people to get up close to it, but there is a good close-up of the pomes in the blog. Also included in the blog and failing the less colourful test is European quince, Cydonia oblonga. I have trouble focusing out here, so strayed from the Sorbus relatives theme to photograph the persimmon, Diospyros kaki 'Izu'. Back on track, here is a medlar, Mespilus germanica 'Large Russian', with curious but not beautiful fruits. One of my favourites that I have posted many times, is Aria caloneura, beautiful leaved whitebeam. I never appreciated that its botanical name was urging me to pay attention to the beautiful veins on its leaves. Here is Aria Hemsleyi, with pomes a little more colourful.
Douglas did actually stray into colourful non-Rosaceae-family fruits. I appreciated the tip to check out the Celastrus scandens along the north fence. I was also very excited to see this Arbutus menziesii, with its fruits and bark competing for attention. I've been thinking plenty about Decaisnea insignis this year, since I've been carrying around my own fingers which have been giving the dead man's fingers a run for their money, but just when I got to show the comparison, my fingers have started to revert to somewhat normal colouring. Only three more weeks till the cast comes off, well before Halloween. I was dancing, if you want to know, got my feet in the wrong place. And it's my right arm, and typing accurately with just my left hand is still difficult.
