Most of the vegetation in this area consists of evergreens, but there are quite a few deciduous trees and shrubs around. In contrast to what happens in other areas, most tend not to lose their leaves in autumn (“fall” seems oddly inappropriate under the circumstances); instead, the leaves just turn brown and stay on the tree. When the new leaves come out in the spring, they push the old ones off the branches. Some people claim that the leaves remain on the branches because there is no frost; I have since learned that it may not be as easy as that and that there are more accurate (and definitely more complicated) explanations. Whatever the reason, some trees still look like it’s autumn around here; it’s time for the new leaves to come in!