Autumn Transition
I couldn’t resist sharing this picture I took after lunch of a Norway Maple in St Joseph’s Square on Maynooth University Campus. I like the gradual transitions of colour from green to yellow and orange and red with height. Most of the other trees have lost most of their leaves already.
The #Norwaymaple #Acer #platanoides is a native #tree of (Central) #Europe that spread northward after the last #IceAge along with mixed oak forests and is still commonly found in such #treecommunities today. Like all #trees, it offers #habitats for numerous organisms, forming complex macro#ecosystems, e.g., the #leaves, where #aphids feed, while the #ant #Formica #fusca is collecting their excretions (honeydew) as food.
#ecology #evolution
© #StefanFWirth #Berlin May 2025
#Photos
© S.F. Wirth