WriteOut Collection Leaves

WriteOut* Day 3 on Day 4

Yesterday, Abigail Lund posted a WriteOut Spark to take a nature walk and find a collection of something. So our daily walk is usually, and today, through lovely tree-lined streets and Cole Park. As my husband and I walked and talked, I paused at this strange leaf beneath a row of maple trees.

I found leaves all in a row, including another strange leaf:

And then this stunningly beautiful leaf:

I decided to collect leaves showing the gradual changes of the maple trees. These are the maple trees on the street:

The Collection

I created a Color Change Circle by placing the greenest leaf in the center with the next greenest at the lower left. Then clockwise around I placed the stages and types of maple leaf color changes in an order from green to blends to orange.

I wonder….

Then I wondered whey that first leaf was so strange and why the yellow leaves had brown spots. So, of course, I did a little research. I discovered that fungus, disease, drought, frost, overwatering, and wind can cause a variety of issues for maple trees.

• Why are my leaves turning brown?
• Edges of Maple Leaves Turning Black
• Fall Color and Lack Thereof
• Maple Tree Diseases

Our area is usually semi-arid with very little rain, but we DID have a lot of rain this fall and few drenchings in the summer. So these maple trees who are usually accustomed to drought, may have received more water than it needed.

I knew that leaves change colors when the tree’s chemical called chlorophyl dies off and so does the green color which is then replaced by the colors of the leaves other chemicals. Something important I had forgotten is a reason trees change in the cooler weather– if they didn’t, they’d freeze. Here’s the explanation I found in a wonderful National Park Service article, National Park Service: How Do Trees Change In the Fall?

“When you, or a tree, dissolve something like sugar or salt in water it becomes more difficult for the water to freeze. So, in the fall, trees gradually dehydrate themselves to increase the concentration of sugar in their cells. Extra water becomes insulation for the sugar-heavy cells, making them even more resilient to freezing.”

National Park Service: How Do Trees Change In the Fall?

And I found a PBS Kids video, Why do Leaves Change Colors?

Poetry

So, I decided to write a “Did You Know” poem….about the tree’s need to dehydrate to keep from freezing. Enjoy, and perhaps write one on something you learned about nature while walking outdoors.

Tree Science

Did you know
of maple’s change,
of autumn leaves
green to yellow and red,
shows the tree
~dries water out
~keeps sugar in
so winter’s cold
is kept outside
so it doesn’t freeze
within?

Sheri Edwards
10.11.23 284.365.23
Poetry/Photography

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*JOIN IN!

This post is part of the October WRITEOUT adventure, October 8 through the 22nd, partnership of the National Writing Project and the National Park Service — a choice to enjoy the outdoors with poetry, prose, and parks for Write Out 2023. Organized as a public invitation to get out and create, supported by a series of free online activities, Write Out invites educators, students, and families to explore national parks and other public spaces. The goal is to connect and learn through place-based writing and sharing.  Check out this infographic for the flow of the two weeks.

Learn more and sign up: https://writeout.nwp.org

This is my sixth year with WriteOut with all my WriteOut posts here.