Every fall, we get worried calls about bald cypress trees that seem to be dying overnight. The feathery green needles turn copper, then rust, then begin to drop, and from the street it can look like a tree in serious trouble.
The good news is that this is exactly what a bald cypress is supposed to do. Unlike pines, it is a deciduous conifer, which means it sheds all of its needles each fall and grows a fresh set in spring. Along Buffalo Bayou, in Memorial Park, and in yards from The Woodlands to River Oaks, these trees are putting on one of Houston's few true displays of fall color right now.
There are a few things worth a closer look, though. Browning that started in mid-summer, needles that turned brown while neighboring cypress stayed green, or twigs that snap instead of bend can point to spider mites, drought stress, or root damage. A quick scratch test on a small twig, looking for green tissue under the bark, tells you a lot.
Do you have a bald cypress on your property, and did its color change catch you off guard the first fall you lived there?
#HoustonTrees #BaldCypress
A real photo of a bald cypress in a Houston yard or along a bayou with needles turning copper and rust. A close-up of a flexible twig with healthy buds makes a strong second carousel image. Real local photos outperform stock landscapes.
Canva text suggestion: "Rusty Needles, Healthy Tree" or "Bald Cypress Drop Their Needles Every Fall"