Pictures don't capture the brilliance of the red colors in Spring when it leafs out in April.

A back path leads down the side of the house to the tree which is nestled against the fence. Early Spring color is brilliant bright red!

Like a Japanese Maples growing in the mid west, it needs a good soil prep and no fertilizer. IT gets mostly full sun all day. You can see that the leaves are colored green, gold, orange and red. All of the photos were taken in June around the same date but in different years.

Usually we think of green leaf color if a plant is in the shade, but 'Illinois Sunrise' is the exception.

Jewel tones of oranges and gold and golden yellow.