Autumn in Central Park, Manhattan, New York

Falling for Central Park. Autumn in Central Park, New York

Every autumn, many of the 18,000 trees in Central Park, New York, are painted in shades of yellow, red, and orange. It's one of Central Park's most photographed seasons, and fall in the park has provided iconic backdrops for movies like 'When Harry Met Sally…' and 'Hair.' Trees sense the coming of winter not only by temperature, but by the angle at which sunlight hits their leaves. Because of New York's buildings, the unique interaction of light, shadows, and temperatures often results in fall foliage occurring later in the park than the rest of the city.

Today's image features fall in the Mall, a pedestrian walkway designed and built in the mid-1800s. Flanked by benches and American elm trees, the Mall's canopy was meant to evoke an architectural space like a cathedral. The quarter-mile promenade is the park's only straight path, and it was intended to be a place for New Yorkers of all classes and backgrounds to gather, stroll, sit, and perhaps ponder the passing seasons.