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This is one of the times during the year when the leaves take the spotlight.

In fact, it is without a doubt their most spectacular appearance of every 12-month period.

The only competition with the beautiful fall colors occurs during the spring when the leaves begin their annual appearance with the bright greens, indicating the warmth of summer is just ahead.

During the summer, we virtually ignore the leaves as most turn to dark green, doing their job of supplying nourishment to their host tree and helping to improve the air which we breathe. We take them so for granted!

And even their time in the spotlight is so short lived.

While they are the star of the autumn show, they bring beautiful reds and golden yellows to our mountains scenery, they last only until the wind and rain or the approaching cold of winter take them to the ground. There they hide the grass as it prepares for the winter season.

Once on the ground, we tend to ignore their remaining beauty.

Some property owners hardly allow them to touch the ground until they are raked or vacuumed up to be hidden - hauled to the landfill or placed into a composting pile to return their richness to the soil.

Until that happens, they blanket much of the Earth around us, often hiding our paths and sidewalks when we really need to see where we are walking. Or in many cases, these fallen leaves of beauty hide the private drives up the steep mountainsides around us, making their use more difficult.

Fortunately, many remain on the forest floor throughout the winter, helping reduce the erosion as the winter rains pelt the area, staying until their decay sets in and they return to the soil. There they help supply the food which encourages the growth of the trees around them which will in turn produce another year's crop of beautiful leaves.

Their beauty in both spring and fall is just a fleeting reminder of what leaves do the remainder of the year.

Thankfully, we have learned through science and ordinances restricting burning that the old fashioned way of burning fallen leaves is not the best way to care for them. When we burn leaves we pollute the air and destroy what would otherwise could become soil enrichment for the next year.

Enjoy their beauty while they last!