Copper Beech opens red-bronze leaves, here contrasting with the new green of Fernleaf. A number of tree varieties have learned the horticultural trick of showing Spring, as well as Fall, color. More complex is the multicolored Beech below, whose blanched leaf tips betray a hint of pink.



And, as a special bonus, here’s a Purple Beech, from the lawn at Hernshead Cove, on the Lake. It’s not part of the ornamental alley, but under the circumstances...



Trees and words both have roots. Those of the Beech are near the surface, so nothing grows beneath it, but the tree’s history is deep, going back to ancient Europe, and rune-inscribed staffs of Beech wood, wherefore "Beech" is the root of the word "book".
The story written in these trees is one of human intervention. They are beautiful, but not more beautiful than their unaltered relatives.