Dakota Gardener: Changing of the guard

The first ones I notice are the sumacs.

It’s the same pattern each year. Sumacs turn a bright red, and they start changing color early. It’s a bright, fire-engine red, usually. Sometimes they’re a little muted, with a bit of purple mixed in.

Robins are supposed to signal the arrival of spring. For me, sumacs are the first sign of autumn. They’re beautiful.

For the next few weeks, I’ll watch the pa...