THE BEST AUTUMN TREE IN ST. LOUIS

Okay, I have not traveled every hill and dale in the metro area but this one is Old Reliable. And, no, I don't know what kind of tree it is. I'm a city kid. My education as an arborist is limited to this.

The tree is toward the eastern side of Forest Park, near Kingshighway. Autumn trees are very spotty here, with subtle dependence on temperature and rainfall. Some years all the leaves just turn brown and wither. But in others this whole grove is aflame. This one in particular, which gets full afternoon sun, never fails.