Canopy

The camphor trees along Sixth, among the largest and most beautiful in the Windsor Square canopy, seem to change very little during the summer months. Their great height and the reach of their fanning branches along both sides of the street form a bright green vault that stretches from Irving to Plymouth and protects westbound motorists from fireball sunsets.

The stately palms along the side streets change little in summer, as well – tall, regal, imperturbable and indifferent. They keep their majesty whether the skies over Los Angeles are leaden with June gloom or bright with the midsummer glare of Monsoon.


But summer brings new color to the streets. Lavender comes with jacarandas in May and June. In July and August, the crape myrtles bloom -- red, coral, flame, lavender and white. Cassia trees surprise with medallion bursts of bright yellow florets.

As August wears on, the sycamore trees, tall and graceful California natives, signal a coming change. Their green begins to give way to brown and dead leaves make their first appearance on the ground -- just a few, to be sure, but enough to remind Angelenos that it will not be summer forever.