Bald Cypress

— With the weather finally cooling down in Central Texas, everyone is now waiting to see if this year will be one for gorgeous fall foliage colors, such as in the photo above. This photo was made in November 2019 on the banks of the Guadalupe River.

Even though the Guadalupe River seems motionless and not flowing in this photo, “bald cypresses have very important roles in the wild,” according to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). Furthermore, NWF says that “since they tend to grow along rivers and in wetlands, they are excellent at soaking up floodwaters and preventing erosion.” If you have ever been around some of Central Texas rivers, such as the Frio, Guadalupe, and Pedernales rivers, just to name a few, you have seen these deciduous conifers adorning the banks of those rivers.

The synergy between those trees and the rivers is present at all times. It is, however, particularly striking when fall comes around. Even without strong currents flowing, when all the right weather conditions fall into place, and just before cypresses go dormant in the fall, they can display striking fall foliage colors, varying from tan, cinnamon, to deep orange. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center says that cypresses “can grow to 138 feet and taller, and have a trunk diameter at chest height of 10 ft.”