Autumn is celebrated for the stunning transformation of deciduous trees, with entire forests ablaze in hues of orange, red, and yellow— a grand finale before the winter's long rest. However, that dramatic display is more subdued here in Sycamore Grove Park. While we get some fall color, it's scattered—nothing like the painted ridges along the Appalachian range. But in a landscape with rare displays, the smallest splash of color can seem even more vibrant. Sycamore Grove is still full of color, even at this dreary time of year!  

One of the brightest fall colors in all of Sycamore Grove is one of my personal favorite plants: Poison Oak! It certainly was not always my favorite plant— I spent much of my youth lamenting its existence as I was terrorized by itchy rashes caused by coming into contact with the oils of its leaves. I eventually learned to identify the plant in my teenage years to avoid it at all costs! Over the years, I have realized how beautiful it is as the oil-infused leaves change to intense glossy reds and oranges in the fall. It is beautiful in the fall, and its berries provide an extraordinary food source well into the winter for many birds and mammals that call our park home. It sure is a satisfying feeling to overcome the fear of a dangerous organism and realize your shifted perspective has allowed you to finally appreciate it for what it is!  

Another source of color to be found in Sycamore Grove is a little less conspicuous. Buckeyes are beautiful trees in the springtime with their bright green and rounded canopies and large clusters of stark white flowers— but they quickly get what they need from the environment and submit to the dry heat of the summer. They abandon their leaves and focus solely on producing their fruit, the largest native seed you can find in California. As all the vibrancy from these spring beauties dissipates, another splash of color is revealed.

Buckeyes are a host for an array of species of lichens; one of the big standouts here at Sycamore Grove Park is a species of Xanthoria, the family of orange sunburst lichens. The leafless gray branches covered in their embroidered pattern of lime green or neon orange lichens are a beautiful sight to see! If the leafless trees of fall and winter leave you feeling down, stop and look for the colorful lichens the bare branches support.  

Another bit of color is revealed as the tree leaves abandon their posts for the winter. They are a very strange organism with an especially colorful role for the holiday season. Mistletoe is a regular hemiparasite of many species of trees in our area. A seed may find its way onto a branch via bird scat, and after it germinates, it sends down specialized root structures that can penetrate the wood of the host tree. Those roots fuse themselves into the cellular structure of the tree, allowing the mistletoe to siphon off water and nutrients to get itself started. Once the mistletoe is established, it produces its energy through photosynthesis, making it 'hemi parasitic' versus entirely parasitic. When these tightly tangled clusters of olive-green hanging branches flower and produce bright and waxy berries, they provide the perfect shelter and mid-winter snack for several bird species— including the elusive Phainopepla with its sleek black plumage and glowing red eyes. Out here at Sycamore Grove, you may not realize how often you are standing underneath the mistletoe, so you better pucker up! 

While animals often use camouflage to blend into their surroundings to go undetected, some risk flaunting bright displays of color specifically to be seen! But why would animals expose themselves to predation or alert potential prey by drawing attention? The answer is usually simple in the world of birds: to attract a mate! The evolutionary history of birds who flaunt vibrant displays is quite fascinating, as the implication is that avoiding predation was less selective than attracting the attention of the opposite sex. Many species of birds exhibit sexual dimorphism: males and females sport very different sets of plumage. Our very own Western Bluebird is a great example of this: leading up to the breeding season, the males rock a shimmering royal blue coat, while the females wear a modest gray outfit with only a hint of blue. The boys are dressed to impress, while the females are going for comfort and functionality— and we get to enjoy the fashion show all season long!  
However, the female bird's preference for these bright feathers is not shallow— these bright colors often come from their 'ideal' diet, so the brighter, flashier males are proving their health and vigor. For these birds, standing out is certainly a gamble, but when the stakes involve reproduction, it turns out it's worth the risk!  

During the fall, migration is in full swing! Several colorful birds are settling into their winter groove here in Sycamore Grove Park. American Robins with their rusty red bellies will flock in massive numbers, while Golden- and White-Crowned Sparrows begin to dominate the landscape, searching for the dispersed seeds of the past season. Cedar Waxwings are here to comb the park, looking for the bright red berries of Toyon and Holly Berry. If you are especially lucky, you may spot one of the vibrant warblers that stop over for a refuel on their longer journey south, like the Wilson's Warbler or Yellow Warbler. This is an especially fun time to watch a bird feeder if you have one at home— make sure you are keeping it clean so your feeder doesn't become a vector for far-away diseases.  

The weather also brings us more color during the fall months. Overcast autumn skies can provide us with some of the most epic sunsets, which are helped in part by the lower angle of the sun, giving us a longer Golden Hour. The first rainstorm systems that come through often clear away the summer haze and smog that have been looming over us for months, like pulling back a veil, giving us a crystal-clear view of Mount Diablo and beyond. On an especially clear day, from the right vantage point, you can even see the Sierra Nevada mountains from Livermore! And, of course, the rains mean, at long last, green will return to the landscape!  

Now that you have digested this delightful serving of colorful information... Fall is a wonderful time to find colorful scat! Sycamore Grove is situated at the southern tip of the Livermore Valley, a renowned wine-growing region. As various varieties of grapes are ripening to perfection on the vines, wildlife is eager to snatch an easy meal. Our resident coyotes might skip a meal of ground squirrel and opt for the sweet grapes straight off the vine. Next time you walk the trail, keep an eye out for the purple evidence of this. Sometimes, you can still see the whole grapes clustered in the deep purple scat: skins, seeds, and all! In the springtime, it's common to find lots of little grape vines popping up around the park, very likely thanks to one of our many resident mammals with a sweet tooth.  

Fall is certainly not as colorful as spring or early summer in the Livermore Valley, but if you know where to look and have a curious mind, you can find amazing color even during the dreariest times of the year!