Top Down

Remember these two trees, from last week?  (Yes, two -- look closer).  One has now done autumn and gone out the other side to bare stick status.  At first I thought someone had stolen it.  We had a big storm on Sunday night, which must have helped with the leaf redistribution, but it's clearly a trend-setter, way ahead of the fashion curve.

The one on the right is still thinking about it. So, it seems, are most of the others. We were speculating whether the vent to the right of it might be creating a micro-climate, but looking around campus it's clear the reluctant one is more typical in its timing.

It also seems that this species is generally inclined to put on autumn colouration from the top down, which is unusual but ornamental:

A few more weeks and another big blow, though, and it'll be sticks all round.