Autumn in Central Park, Manhattan, New York, USA

Fall in the Mall. Autumn in Central Park, New York, United States

Every autumn, many of the 18,000 trees in Central Park in New York, United States, are painted in shades of yellow, red and orange. It's one of Central Park's most photographed seasons and autumn in the park has provided iconic backdrops for films like 'When Harry Met Sally…' and 'Hair.' Trees sense the coming of winter not only by temperature, but by the angle at which light from sunrises and sunsets 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.