The best month for possumhaw

January is usually the best month to see bright red drupes on otherwise bare possumhaw trees, Ilex decidua. I photographed the fruit-laden possumhaw above on FM 2243 in Williamson County on January 13th, when fleecy clouds added texture to the sky and made for a red, white, and blue vista.

The picture below, which is from yesterday on the south side of East Howard Lane just west of Dessau Rd. in the eastern reaches of far north Austin, shows you how densely druped these trees can be (and it shows that I can cram all four cardinal directions into one sentence).

© 2016 Steven Schwartzman