Autumn in L.A.

As I grew up in Pittsburgh, where there actually was an autumn, it was my favorite time of the year. I’ve always disliked hot weather, and fall meant the time things cooled off. Plus, I loved watching the leaves turn color.

My favorite musical was even related, distantly, to fall. I adored THE FANTASTICKS, and especially the song “Try to Remember” which mentions the month of September. Autumn begins toward the end of September, and the month, to me, was the harbinger of school starting again (yes, I enjoyed school, notwithstanding the grumbling I did in my post last week) and the weather changing.

But years ago I moved to Los Angeles. There are essentially two seasons here: the rainy season, and the rest of the year. The rainy season, if there is one in any given year, equates somewhat in time with winter everywhere else. No snow or really cold weather, though--at least not in most years.

Palm tree leaves don’t change color. Neither do the leaves on most other kinds of trees that grow here. There are a few, though, that do. If you’re going to ask me which ones, forget it.

I used to know which maple trees in my yard in the east changed and which colors they’d take on. Here, though, I don’t pay a lot of attention to which trees choose to change color, or even when they elect to do it. I do enjoy watching the jacarandas bloom, then lose blossoms and leaves, but I can’t tell you which months they do so. I believe that liquidambar trees here change colors and shed leaves, too. Some trees imported from elsewhere act similar to the way they do in their native habitats, if they survive. Plus, there’s a big tree in our backyard that we’ve never been able to identify that decides once a year to lose its large number of small leaves.

On the whole, though, treetops tend to remain green. Other growth goes brown, at least on the ground, in the non-rainy season.

This all makes trips in the fall to places where the leaves change even more special. One of these years I’ll do that again.

By the way, the winner of my contest last week was N.L. Gassert. Nadja, if you'll e-mail me at lindaojohnston@rocketmail.com with your address, I'll send your copy of HOWL DEADLY. And although I’m not giving a prize here on KillerHobbies this week, I’m also a guest blogger today on Fresh Fiction--and I am giving away another copy of HOWL DEADLY there. Stop in and see why I write so much about animals: http://freshfiction.com/blog/

Have you ever visited L.A.? What time of year? Did you enjoy the weather?