'ParkWalk': a guide to the city's colorful autumnal foliage

With late autumn upon us, leaves change color as the temperatures cool, making local parks look like scenes from oil paintings.

Golden ginkgo, red maple, and brown fir trees and some other colorful species are entering their best viewing period.

City News Service has made a guide of where to go to enjoy the autumn scenery on a "Park Walk" across the city.

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Ginkgo

Ginkgo is a deciduous tree with fan-shaped leaves and oval seeds.

Ginkgo always lights up autumn with the bright golden color of its leaves. Walking on an avenue with rows of ginkgo trees lining both sides and golden fallen leaves on the ground is a pleasant and refreshing experience.

As far as the eye can see, the leaves dazzle in the autumn sunshine and when there is a breeze, they dance in the air like butterflies.

In Pudong's Century Park and Expo Park, Yangpu's Gongqing Forest Park, Jiading's Xiaohekou Ginkgo Garden, and the Millennium Ancient Ginkgo Garden, you can appreciate the beauty of ginkgo trees.

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Acer

The acer is a family of trees or plants that are often grown for their attractive leaves and bright autumn colors, including red maple and chicken claw maple.

Every autumn, as the temperature changes, the leaves of the maple plant gradually turn red.

If you like maple trees, you can visit Shanghai Botanical Garden in Xuhui District, Jing'an Sculpture Park, Hongkou's Lu Xun Park, and Jiading's Qiuxiapu Garden.

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Platanus

Platanus has broad ovate leaves with truncate or slightly heart-shaped base and spherical fruit.

Known as the "King of Street Trees," the tall French plane trees on local streets or in the parks lose their leaves every autumn.

Walking along the sycamore tree avenue in Jing'an Park, pedestrians hear a cheerful rustle from the fallen leaves cushioning their footsteps, as they admire the seasonal beauty and the passage of time.

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Cedar

Cedar trees are deciduous, including metasequoia, pond fir, bald cedar, and oriental fir. Among them, metasequoia is an endangered and precious tree species that is unique to China.

The tall and straight cedar trees have been dyed ocher red by the colder weather and glow beautifully under sunlight, and illuminate the mountains in the setting sun.

Rust-colored cedar leaves fall to the roadside or float on the water, adding a romantic atmosphere to the park in late autumn.

You can enjoy such views in Shanghai Botanical Garden, Songjiang's Chenshan Botanical Garden, Minhang Cultural Park, Fengxian's Gulf National Forest Park, and Chongming's Dongping National Forest Park.