Hang Tough

Just because the calendar said Fall
the leaves decided
they didn’t have to let go.

 

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Willow   Salix spp

The Artist

Autumn puts brush to palette
Blends rich colours on the board
Then lightly, deftly
Paints the forest floor.

Rain Gauge

A leaf is a leaf is a … rain gauge? Yup. Sort of. Brittlebush leaves act like Ma Nature’s precip monitor. The drier it is, the smaller and whiter the leaves it produces. If the soil dries up too much the leaves drop off altogether.

The we’ve-got-enough-water leaves are dark green, almost hairless. Turn up the heat and turn off the tap and that changes quickly — the next leaves to appear will be greyer and covered by white hairs. Those two factors keep the leaves from overheating by reflecting the sunlight. The tiny hairs also trap moisture.

I took the leaf shots this morning just as the rain started — the wet leaves really show the colour contrast.

Brittlebush is one of the most common plants on the Sonoran Desert. It grows in a half moon shape, like an upsidedown bowl. That shape and the profusion of eye-popping yellow flowers make it easily recognizable.

The image below shows what happens to a single bush when it moves into town and onto a lot where the owner waters plants. Wow. 🙂

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Brittlebush   Encelia farninosa
Chuparosa    Justicia californica (aka Beloperone californica)
Palo verde   Parkinsonia aculeata

 

 

Runt of the Litter

The lupine was thriving. Dozens of tall, lush, leaf-topped stems.

Then came a dump of wet spring snow.

Leaves and stems collapsed.

All but the smallest.

Sometimes it pays to keep your head down.

The Beauty of Age

Beauty is so often synonymous with youth — new, fresh, alive.

We seldom look long at the aged. At the wrinkles. The lines. The age spots.

Unpleasant reminders of our own frailty.

If we could reframe our definition perhaps we would find grace even in old age.

Do the Unexpected

You don’t always have to climb to the top to be noticed.

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Balsam poplar   Populus balsamifera

Happy Dance

These leaves are doing a little branch dancin’.

Hang out with the sunbeams and see how you feel.

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Balsam poplar   Populus balsamifera

It’s Not a Perfect World

The aspen leaves, barely unfurled, are already facing a barrage of bugs and worms intent on eating them alive.

But the aspens — and most of their leaves — are still here.

They’ve done this dance before.

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Trembling aspen   Populus tremuloides