By Dan Weisz
Two weeks ago I drove to Ski Valley at the top of Mount Lemmon to find some Autumn leaves. And there they were!
![](http://wildlife.foothillsclusters.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/201102-01.jpg)
There were a lot of Aspen trees at that location and the yellow leaves popped out of the background against the many evergreen trees. But while I was watching them I had a funny feeling.
![](http://wildlife.foothillsclusters.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/201102-02.jpg)
I looked around and saw that while I was looking at the Autumn leaves, the Aspen trees were looking back at me with big old eyes!!!
![](http://wildlife.foothillsclusters.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/201102-03.jpg)
Aspen leaves blew softly in the wind, and the changing colors was outstanding…..
![](http://wildlife.foothillsclusters.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/201102-04.jpg)
…but still, it felt like I was being watched. These Aspen eyes are the result of how the Aspen grow. The trees grow tall in order to reach the sunshine in a thick forest. As the tree grows, it ’self-prunes’ and drops smaller branches that don’t receive enough sunlight. When the small branches fall off, they leave a scar on the white trunk of the tree.
![](http://wildlife.foothillsclusters.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/201102-05.jpg)
From a distance, the golden glow of aspen is a stunning seasonal display.
![](http://wildlife.foothillsclusters.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/201102-06.jpg)
But from a closer look, many trunks sport ‘eyes’. Each eye is unique. Some trees have several eyes while some just have a few.
![](http://wildlife.foothillsclusters.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/201102-07.jpg)
“Autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a flower”, by Albert Camus
![](http://wildlife.foothillsclusters.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/201102-08.jpg)
And one more eye.
![](http://wildlife.foothillsclusters.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/201102-09.jpg)
Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.
![](http://wildlife.foothillsclusters.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/201102-10.jpg)
I’m glad to live in a world where there are Octobers.