Silent Sunday – Staghorn Sumac

Posted on October 16, 2021 by Eliza Waters

About Eliza Waters

Gardener, writer, photographer, naturalist
This entry was posted in Field Notes, My Photos and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

88 Responses to Silent Sunday – Staghorn Sumac

  1. sandyjwhite says:
    October 16, 2021 at 11:02 pm

    So pretty. Love that orange!

  2. Anne says:
    October 16, 2021 at 11:02 pm

    The subtle blend of these vivid colours is beautiful, Eliza.

  3. Trini Lind says:
    October 16, 2021 at 11:03 pm

    Beautiful colors!!

  4. Dee Min says:
    October 16, 2021 at 11:09 pm

    Lovely colors!!! Fall 🍂

  5. cindy knoke says:
    October 16, 2021 at 11:44 pm

    Beautiful. I miss this.

  6. Pingback: Silent Sunday – Staghorn Sumac | Purplerays

  7. Murtagh's Meadow says:
    October 17, 2021 at 4:30 am

    Perfect autumn colour:)

  8. Barbara Rodgers says:
    October 17, 2021 at 5:38 am

    Nice picture, Eliza! I love the autumn shades of rust and burnt orange. 🍂

  9. Chris Mousseau says:
    October 17, 2021 at 5:57 am

    In a hungry winter, rabbits tend to eat the bark of young sumac; I’m glad they send up shoots so readily just so we can get these amazing fall colours.

    • Eliza Waters says:
      October 17, 2021 at 10:02 am

      They do sucker readily and I crop a lot every summer to keep this patch in my yard from taking over. I never mind losing a trunk or two to age (all of 5 years, ha!).
      The birds have already been harvesting the seeds. I find it a valuable native.

  11. Judy@NewEnglandGardenAndThread says:
    October 17, 2021 at 6:50 am

    Your two photos match perfectly! Hello, fall.

  12. Carrie Cannady says:
    October 17, 2021 at 6:53 am

    Beautiful. Looking forward to leaves changing here. They’re very late this year. The temps have been too warm for too long. Hoping it will change this week with cooler temps. Thank you for this lovely photo of color to remind me of what is coming! 🍂

  13. bayphotosbydonna says:
    October 17, 2021 at 7:45 am

    Gorgeous splash of autumn!

  15. Alice says:
    October 17, 2021 at 8:10 am

    The g l o r i o u s hues of Autumn.

  16. Maria says:
    October 17, 2021 at 8:23 am

    Amazing fall colours. We’ve had more yellow than red this fall. Is there a scientific reason why some years it’s more red/orange and other years the same trees are mostly yellow? Does it have to do with temperature changes?

    • Eliza Waters says:
      October 17, 2021 at 9:50 am

      Thank you. Good question. There are different factors that could affect fall color. One is the type of tree and what pigments are dominant. Birch and aspen tend to be more yellow with a touch of orange. Maples tend toward red and orange, but Norway maples for instance, are predominantly yellow. Ash range from yellow to purple. Amount of water, abundant or not, number of sunny days and temperatures all play a part. Best years have ample summer rain, lots of sunny, dry days, particularly in late summer, and cool nights followed by warm days yield the best color.

  18. utahan15 says:
    October 17, 2021 at 9:02 am

    quite nice
    ty very much~

  19. LightWriters says:
    October 17, 2021 at 10:25 am

    Glorious! 🤩🥰😍

  21. Tranature - quiet moments in nature says:
    October 17, 2021 at 11:58 am

    Glorious Sumac Eliza! 🧡 xxx

  22. Dale says:
    October 17, 2021 at 12:13 pm

    Did not know it was called Staghorn sumac (took me forever to find out it was called sumac in the first place). I love how these are the first to burst into colour and they are so flamboyant! Love this!

    • Eliza Waters says:
      October 17, 2021 at 12:50 pm

      Thank you, Dale! Glad you liked the shot. There are three kinds of sumac in the northeast (staghorn, winged & poison) that I am aware of, but staghorn seems to be the most prolific. A favorite native of mine. 🙂

      • Dale says:
        October 17, 2021 at 4:59 pm

        Is it the one that spreads like a weed? I’m thinking that’s the same kind as I see all over the place, here.

      • Eliza Waters says:
        October 17, 2021 at 7:15 pm

        Most likely, it is the same. It spreads by seed and also stolons, so one needs to keep on top of it, or have enough space to host it. Most folks won’t tolerate it in their yard, but I’ve always loved having it in the wild edges.

      • Dale says:
        October 17, 2021 at 8:24 pm

        I remember when my former neighbour planted five of them… I though oh boy! Does he not know what he has done? 🙂 I love them in wild places 🙂

  23. Tina says:
    October 17, 2021 at 1:37 pm

    Beautiful photo, Eliza. There is a sumac here, Flameleaf Sumac (Rhus lanceolata) that has brilliant reds/oranges in fall, though later than yours. https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=rhla3

  24. Debbie says:
    October 17, 2021 at 2:16 pm

    This isn’t the poisonous kind, is it, Eliza?

    • Eliza Waters says:
      October 17, 2021 at 7:17 pm

      No, staghorn is the fuzzy stemmed one and is quite benign. Poison sumac has white berries (not red) and is smooth stemmed. It tends to grow in swampy areas, luckily places we’re not likely to go.

  25. Ellen Shriner says:
    October 17, 2021 at 5:53 pm

    Gorgeous color! I love the way sumac is barely noticeable until fall, then ta daaa!

  26. Kris P says:
    October 17, 2021 at 6:34 pm

    Your fall color is wonderful. There’s no fall color to speak of here as yet.

    • Eliza Waters says:
      October 17, 2021 at 7:11 pm

      Thank you, Kris. There is still a fair amount of color here, but our peak was last week. Rain and wind Fri. and Sat. made short work of a lot of the leaves. The time passes so quickly!

  27. belindagroverphotography says:
    October 17, 2021 at 9:36 pm

    So pretty, autumn’s banners 😊

  28. Irene says:
    October 17, 2021 at 11:24 pm

    Beautiful colors. 😊

  29. Steve Gingold says:
    October 18, 2021 at 4:16 am

    Sumac really prettys up the landscape. I’ve always considered but have yet to make sumacade. Have you?

  30. denisebushphoto says:
    October 18, 2021 at 12:53 pm

    Sumac can have the most beautiful shade of red. NICE!

  31. livblumer says:
    October 18, 2021 at 1:05 pm

    The show is definitely not over yet!

  32. pbmgarden says:
    October 19, 2021 at 5:44 pm

    Perfect photo, Eliza! Not much color here yet.

  33. Gary A. McMahon says:
    October 20, 2021 at 10:05 am

    Did you make your tea from it yet? Beautiful tree, reminds a little bit of a (common name) Chinese Pistachio out here.

  34. Brian Skeys says:
    October 20, 2021 at 12:15 pm

    I have this tree in my garden, it is a favourite especially this time of year.

  35. Steve Schwartzman says:
    October 21, 2021 at 9:01 pm

    Where sumc goes, so goes autumn.

  36. Jane Lurie says:
    October 22, 2021 at 6:04 pm

    Nature’s colors are amazing! ❤️

  37. Bela Johnson says:
    October 31, 2021 at 2:06 pm

    And saw it with our own eyes this year! Beautiful.

    • Eliza Waters says:
      October 31, 2021 at 2:36 pm

      Thank you, Bela. So you made the trip north or did you have some close to you?

      • Bela Johnson says:
        October 31, 2021 at 2:48 pm

        Traveled from NM to VT, down to VA and NC, then home again. Took a month. SO OOOOO OO glad to be back to some sanity! The roads of this nation are ridiculously crowded, compared to 20 yrs ago when we last made that journey. Told everyone now it’s your time to come see Us! Not doing that again by car, anyway.

        To answer your question, (!!)Vt was lovely. We do miss New England. But not enough to move back 😉 xo

      • Eliza Waters says:
        October 31, 2021 at 7:38 pm

        So close, you drove right by me, too bad I missed you! But granted, a pandemic makes for challenges beyond the normal scope. Interesting about the crowded highways… I’ve come to the same conclusion. The crowds make me nuts. 😉

      • Bela Johnson says:
        November 1, 2021 at 8:05 am

        Omg. I would’ve love to have seen you, truly. It didn’t occur to me simply because we only had so much time to visit loved ones we had not seen in nearly 20 years. Between those visits and driving, it pretty much did us in. Still recovering. But you would always be welcomed here on the ranch! 💕

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