The Theft of Fallen Leaves

The silver maple tree arranges herself for winter, as she has for the previous twenty-seven years. Her leaves, which she so carefully drew forth in spring’s growing warmth, now thin and turn a deep red. She pulls her sap in more tightly; it may be a hard winter this year, and she needs to conserve the resources she has for the long sleep to come. She’s rather proud of the growth she’s put on this year, touching high-flying breezes that were beyond her highest branches just a couple of years before.

Drat. It’s gone noisy again.

At Paths Through the Forests, I tell a story about the leaves of a very special tree, and why it’s best to leave the leaves alone this fall!