Leaves of Fall

Majestic Flutterings

The spent leaves of fall-

orange, crimson, and gold;

weightless, swirling,

delicate and whimsical.

Ballerinas of the Wind,

 pirouetting their last

dance of life.

                                       ♥p.o.martig

In the temperate forests of North America, trees shed their leaves for survival.  During autumn months when colder weather draws near, trees start the process.  Those that shed all their leaves in fall and winter months (such as the maple, oak and elm trees) are called deciduous, those that don’t shed all their leaves or needles in the fall and winter months are called evergreens.¹

The shedding of leaves helps conserve resources and protects the tree from uprooting or breaking off during winter months.  As light levels and temperatures drop the flow of auxin to the leaves slows down and the levels of another hormone, ethylene, increase.  This signals the cells at the base of the leaf to weaken their cell walls at the same time that other cells expand to break connections between the weakened leaf.  The result is a tearing akin to perforated paper and the leaf falls aimlessly to the ground.²

The maple trees in and around the Olympic National Park in Washington State are both massive and prolific.  During the fall, maple leaves fall unmercifully on our property making it difficult to manage roadways and landscaping.  But in retrospect I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Maple trees are so magnificent in the spring and the vibrant colors they boast in fall are breathtaking.

Selected Readings

¹https://earthsky.org/earth/why-do-trees-shed-their-leaves

²https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/why-do-trees-lose-their-leaves/

*YouTube: The Autumn Leaves by Nat King Cole

**google- image of floating leaves