
Shades of autumn gold beneath the little-leaf linden (Tilia cordata)
Autumn is on its way here in Cardiff and the small-leaved linden (a cultivar of Tilia cordata) next to the Wharf in Cardiff Bay is starting to show some autumn colour.
This month, knowing I would have to take a detour, as the developers of the apartments/flats alongside the Wharf have blocked off the footpath, I went around the water in an anticlockwise direction for a change, meaning the detour came at the end.
I then realised I had never looked across the pond to my linden and its neighbours before, as I am usually heading south and distracted by all the wild plants on the other side, so don’t think to look back as I have already inspected the lindens. This time I took a picture from the far side…

A zoomed-in picture from the far side of the Wharf shows ‘my’ linden on the left, seemingly half in autumn and half still green

A closer view when I had walked around to inspect the tree

There’s plenty of gold…

…lindens do tend to prefer lemon yellow to redder autumn hues

Someone had been sitting beside the Wharf to drink cheap brandy…

Lichen on one of the lindens

Shrivelled fallen leaves

This pair of green leaves must have been stripped by the wind

A dislodged cobble/granite sett under ‘my’ linden – in my new day job with the council I would report it and get it fixed as a trip hazard, but this one is not on the public highway…
That’s it for September, which really does feel like early autumn this year, not late summer. You can see my other linden posts here.
And you can find everyone else’s tree-following posts this month here.
I like the lemon yellow of some trees, my downy birch go lemon yellow too, it’s a nice contrast to all the reds, oranges and golds, the smaller leaves are nice too, the single leaf in the first photo is quite lovely, they are a nice shape,
it’s nice to see another view of your tree, that scene would be so different without those 3 trees and there wouldn’t be as much wildlife, the lichen is pretty,
Frances
Thanks. Although I really must find a more individual tree for next year, rather than one I see so many of on our city streets.
All the best – hope the storms are over for us all for a while 🙂
You got me thinking about “autumn” vs. “fall” since I use both (and I’m a word lover). Yes, “fall” is much more common here, especially in conversation. It seems we use “autumn” when we want to emphasize the season, or when it’s the main topic. But I’m not sure … I’ll keep an eye/ear out 🙂
I certainly wouldn’t know how to translate the adjective “autumnal” into a “fall” adjective…
Best wishes 🙂