It has rained all week, but when there was a pause in the showers, I walked through my neighborhood and discovered nature’s art on the sidewalks.

When leaves stick to the porous concrete overnight, the leaf tannin is transferred to the sidewalk, and the result is lovely ecoprints of fall leaves.

Tannins are responsible for the brown color in deciduous leaves and appear once chlorophyll and carotenoids disappear. It is a waste product of a tree’s metabolism and has protective properties. Among other uses, tannins are found in tea and wine and used to tan leather.

“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.” Albert Einstein