Finalists in the Leaf Contest

Just when I thought I was over the leaves, I spotted this weirdly-patterned cucumber root vine outside my studio window.  You have to know that I despise this poor plant.  It thrives in all of our gardens as well as all over the woods, where it rips our hands with its wire-thin thorns when we attempt to pull it up.  It actually can't be pulled up because it's eternally anchored to the soil by a prickly hand grenade-shaped root (the cucumber) that seems to be impossible to remove/kill/stab to death.  Usually it's a not-remarkable leaf that turns brown in fall.  With the strange weather we've had this fall, the leaves on this vine that is busily choking to death a small tree out back have turned golden first and only now are getting brown, and the veins are staying golden.  How did people ever figure out this wretched plant had an edible root?

So I decided to allow three and three only prize winning leaves today.  The lovely pink-to-yellow leaf at the top right is one of many under that particular tree in the woods.  I think it's one of the nut trees.  And at the bottom right is a rare example of an oak leaf that turned maroon but retained an interesting pattern of green.  Most of the leaves are down now after this weekend's storm.  Snow lingers in shady drifts.  Time to move on to a new subject.