Inktober Day 26: A tulip poplar leaf

 Tulip tree or tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) is a tall native tree common in Western North Carolina (and throughout the Eastern U.S.)  Fall color is quite variable from year to year and site to site.  In droughty fall conditions, leaves can drop early after turning a dull tan.  In other years, they turn an attractive clear yellow.  But occasionally, they can be much more vivid.

In search of white oak leaves at Riverside Cemetery, a historic cemetery nearby, I spotted a beautiful small orange tulip tree leaf -- unusual, I thought.  I brought it home as a potential subject for today's Inktober drawing, along with some white oak leaves, which struck me as less interesting after comparing the three. 

A fall tulip tree leaf

subject and drawing