Purple barberry (Berberis) showing its little red pal how to really do red in fall.

In full sun, berberis gets that glowing embers effect; purple, red, orange yellow.

Amur maple (Acer tartaricum var. ginnala, formerly Acer ginnala), striking in red.

Yes, must get myself one. Too bad the columnar form is harder to find.

The burnished red on gold of the sugar maple (Acer saccharum). Sweet!

Alas, the American ash (Fraxinus americana). With the currently unstoppable emerald ash borer wave, how much longer can we enjoy your crown of gold “overlaid with plum”?

Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), its fall colours backlit and brilliant.

Here, stealing a little of the berberis’ glowing embers thunder. Note the black fruit.

Even from the front, it’s not too shabby… though a little too aggressive a clinger.

The fall colour of the Freeman hybrid maple (Acer x freemanii), a cross between the bold red but fussy red maple (A. rubrum) and fast-growing silver maple (A. saccharinum).

Redbud (Cercis canadensis) in autumn. Heart-shaped leaves are simply a bonus.

Sorry about the words after promising wordlessness. For a clear explanation of why autumn leaves change colour, read this by Deborah Silver on her blog Dirt Simple.