Fall Delights Line The Walk To The Mailbox Staghorn sumac leaves The past several days of incredibly wonderful sunny hours have frequently lured me outdoors. In fact I haven’t simply walked the 950 feet along our driveway to the mailbox to fetch the daily mail – I’ve carefully photographed my way to the mailbox. My usual round-trip mail-hikes of around ten minutes now take upwards of a half-hour or more with my trusty little digital camera in hand. Our two-mile hikes along the nearby gravel road have also become considerably longer in duration and more leisurely than our ordinary brisk, conditioning, aerobic-pace. I think it’s the reds and oranges, plus combinations of the two, that have attracted most attention. Several staghorn sumacs, a few reaching upwards of 15 feet, have had their drooping rich red leaves brilliantly lighted by the late afternoon sun, a favorite time for our walks. Their deep wine-colored cone-shaped fruits, sometimes called bobs, are quite tart to the taste. Small hairs covering the fleshy pulp contain malic acid identical to that found in unripe apples. History tells us that American Indians were fond of the flavoring and gathered great quantities of the bobs in late summer before rains has washed too much of the tangy flavor away. They dried them for winter use and very likely bruised the fruit in water and then sweetened the liquid with maple sugar. Blackberry leaves Deer are extremely fond of the winter twigs and break off many of the small rather soft velvety covered branches in their search for food. This is one of their favorites. The fine hairs of the new stems resemble the early summer antlers of the male deer -- hence the name "staghorn sumac" has arisen. A number of species of songbirds and a few gamebirds also eat the winter fruit of the staghorn sumac, birds including the American robin, eastern bluebird, dark-eyed junco and ruffed grouse. Chipmunks also relish the velvety maroon bobs while cottontails favor the young twigs. People who enjoy the texture and color of wood will marvel at the great beauty of staghorn sumac. The light bleached-out appearance of the outer surface of the dead twigs conceals a rich golden wood. Its shimmering color reminds me of that of a handsome chatoyant gemstone, the African tigereye. This form of quartz enclosing thousands of tiny fibers produces, when polished, shifting patterns of dark and light as the stone is slowly moved back and forth. A sanded and varnished cross-section of the sumac wood tends to react the same way. We treasure an apple box, made entirely of staghorn sumac, that our friend Freddie Kodanko meticulously constructed for us in past years. A feature of the twigs and branches of sumac that one must understand is that they have soft pithy centers, and the presence of this pliant material must be taken into account when using this wood for carving or for constructing simple implements. I can clearly recall the staghorn sumac that my dad planted along the north side of our front door entrance to our home in Kewaunee. Dad had a very good eye for attractive fall color in the landscaping of our property and also introduced a euonymus (you-ON-i-mus), also called burning bush, right next to the sumac. Another plant that he usually had growing in an adjacent flower-bed was salvia, one of the purest reds in a flower I’ve ever seen. You might know that we too grow a good-sized clump of the tall, rich red salvias in front of our south-facing patio where they receive full sunlight. It’s usually in October that these favorite annuals put on their best and most brilliant show. I have no idea why our red zinnias appear to be among the last of several colors to bloom, these and the deep pink, one of which now measures 57 inches to the tallest blossom. What I do know is that they have helped to attract one of the best showings of painted lady butterflies that we’ve witnessed in quite a few years. Two reds of various shades have caught my attention along our driveway in recent days, the changing color of the leaves of the red oak and the wild blackberry. The texture of these leaves is also very interesting, from the smooth reflective sheen of the oak leaves to the pebbly and velvety surface of the blackberry foliage. Few other trees in North America can match the staghorn sumac for overall interest and beauty of form, the food it provides wildlife at a time when it is very challenging to obtain, and its dazzling rich red leaf color each October. There is little wonder why the reds of the autumn scene are so heart-warming and eye-catching. This column appeared in the Door County Advocate on 10/25/2003. © Copyright 2003 Roy Lukes. All rights reserved.