Lipstick Red

I often see red male cardinals resting in trees at the edge of the woods, about 500 feet from my kitchen window. But I'm not sure if they're actually birds until I see them fly to another branch. My uncertainty comes from seeing an occasional "lipstick red" leaf that stands out from the vibrant summer greens. I'm sure this also confuses the predators who stalk the colorful birds.

In Georgia, the appearance of red dramatically increases in late August. The sumac, above, appears like a precocious child who's discovered her mother's makeup.