yellow rain
In October, we still have at least one more autumn display, the shedding of the tamarack needles. Tamarack is a deciduous tree and loses most of its needles this time of year. We have a number of tamaracks on our property, so the golden needles fall as a constant ‘rain’ during late October and early November.
Tamarack (Larix laracina (DuRoi) K. Koch) is also known as Hackmatack, American or Black Larch and, in French, épinette rouge. Tamarack is a large tree, with a narrow pyramidal canopy and pendulous branches.
In my head, I can still hear the voice of my undergraduate botany professor, who was interested in the origin of growth forms of plants, saying, “the tamarack has, here, both short shoots and long shoots”. The short shoots emerge from the sides of branches and resemble small bunches or tufts of needles, and the long shoots grow at the ends of each branch and are elongated, with single needles along the length. The needles are small and generally very soft to the touch compared to other conifers.
Today, there is evidence that the ‘amber rain’ has begun, just a few needles on every outside surface. By the end of next week, the windshield of the car will need a swipe of the wipers to clear the yellow needles.
Tamarack needles on the frozen water of the birdbath
Amber Rain
~
autumn fades
bright carpets
swept away
pale ghosts rattle
from beech and oak
limp rags hang
on frosted pumpkin vines
~
but still
a touch of autumn
stands of larch
yellow in the afternoon
~
and now
a gust of wind
begins
the amber rain
~
pelting needles
fill the air
soaking ground
strewing gold
everywhere
~
fairy straw
washed to the edge
of puddle shores
flooding borders
of roads, driven
by wind, a storm
of gold
~
needles patter
gentle chatter
~
where begins
the amber rain?
is it larch
or hackmatack,
juniper
or tamarack?
who sends the amber rain?
~
© Jane Tims 1992
nichepoetryandprose 
Thanks for the like and for sharing your great poetry! Neat.
Cheers,
Andreas
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Andreas Uneby
November 18, 2011 at 5:48 am
Hi. I’ll have a better look at your site a little later. Thanks for liking my poem. Jane
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jane tims
November 18, 2011 at 6:17 pm
Golden feathers of autumn. Lovely. In particular, this line leaps to me…”fairy straw, washed to the edge of puddle shores”
And I also love the sound of the names – hackmatack, tamarack – they are like drumbeats in the rhythm of your words, a contrast to the image of raining amber.
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Deborah Carr
November 8, 2011 at 10:32 am
Hi Deborah. I find the origins of the names so compelling. The words ‘hackmatack’ and ‘tamarack’ seem appropriate to the off-beat quality of this tree. Jane
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jane tims
November 8, 2011 at 9:37 pm
Hi Jane… they are a beautiful tree in their own right. Great post! Perfect poem for this time of year. 🙂
Denis
<<<<>>>>>
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JD
November 6, 2011 at 10:43 am
I will be reviewing all the posts I missed in the near future. Promise. I still have a ton of things to do before the onset of real winter….the last nor’easter kind of caught me unawares. -Denis
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JD
November 6, 2011 at 10:46 am
Hi. First, do all those November chores! Then you can read posts all the indoor-days of winter… Jane
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jane tims
November 7, 2011 at 7:34 am
Hi Denis. I think the name ‘Hackmatack’ is so charming… just right for such an ‘unconventional’ tree. Jane
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jane tims
November 7, 2011 at 7:31 am
Hi Jane, I enjoyed your lovely post of “amber rain!” I love the tamaracks too, and now I know more about them.
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Ellen Grace Olinger
November 6, 2011 at 10:04 am
Thanks Ellen. Jane
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jane tims
November 6, 2011 at 10:17 am