Freshly fallen maple leave

Fall Color

I used to think that maple leaves turn red in Fall, is all.  And then red is red.  Recently I found out that there are actually a lot of different shades of reds, and maple leaves don't turn red directly, they change through half the color palette before settling into the final deep crimson red, and they fall off the branches.  But then, the transformation continues, and it will turn brown, and eventually into the color of dirt, where it will likely turn into a mush, and life start all over again....  Here the freshly fallen leave showed off her last glory with the brilliant yellow and the glowing red.  Awesome!