Its bark is as good as its bright [leaves, that is]

In a comment yesterday about the escarpment black cherry, Prunus serotina var. eximia, shoreacres quoted the portion of a Wikipedia article that mentions the distinctive bark a black cherry tree has, depending on its age: “A mature black cherry can easily be identified in a forest by its very broken, dark grey to black bark, which has the appearance of very thick, burnt cornflakes. However, for about the first decade or so of its life, the bark is thin, smooth, and striped, resembling that of a birch.”

Today’s photograph illustrates the second part of that quotation. It also shows once again how pretty the leaves of this tree can be when they turn yellow in the fall. Give some credit to the shadows, too.

Like the previous picture, today’s comes from November 26th at Doeskin Ranch, a nature preserve in Burnet County about an hour from my home in northwest Austin.

© 2014 Steven Schwartzman