The "Flame" of Autumn

The Prairie Flameleaf Sumac was in full "flame" along Leon Creek on Tuesday:

The arctic blast arrived with full force a few hours before it was forecast early yesterday morning, so it felt appropriate to post a series of visual "flames" to at least warm the spirit a bit.

There are several trees, such as the Western Soapberry, that have pinnately compound leaves that closely resemble the Flameleaf Sumac leaves. I realized a few months ago there is a very easy way to distinguish this sumac leaf from all the other similar leaves.

The Flameleaf Sumac has what is called a winged rachis, meaning the central leaf petiole has a narrow leaf membrane between the leaflets. The winged rachis is clearly visible in most of these photographs, but is especially apparent in the last photo of the series.

This set of photographs was taken along the Leon Creek Greenway at the junction with the Leon Vista Park Connector trail on Tuesday, December 3, 2013.