The autumn leaves
On that day, that fateful day when the wind and rain tore the red and gold leaves from their bones and they fell at my feet–inspiration flooded my soul. Imagine what it must be like to have such a short life. Sprout in spring, fizzle in fall. I picked one up, the one floating in a puddle and pondered its life.
We aren’t the only ones that have a life. So does a leaf, the lowly leaf. It lives long enough to filter the air you breathe, to fill those empty spaces between the bones of a tree, to add color to the container you call your world.
Japanese maple leaves
It’s hard to believe that small spring bud pushing it way out on a tree branch will blossom into a handsome colored shape, some pointy, some rounded, some straight, some huge, bigger than a man’s hand.
leaflines
All those hard-working leaves have done their job and fall off the tree before the onset of winter. They get raked and bagged and get trotted off to the landfill . But hold one deciduous leaf up by its stem, look at it. I mean really look. It has several life lines. A leaf is basically the power generator of a plant. Leaves have specialized cells that carry out photosynthesis when exposed to sunlight. In photosynthesis, sunlight, water supplied by the roots, and carbon dioxide from the air produce oxygen and sugars (stored plant food).
The visible lines running through the leaf blade are veins that carry the water and nutrients involved in photosynthesis to and from the rest of the plant. The network of veins includes a mid-vein (aka midrib) that runs through the center of the leaf. Secondary veins branch off from the midrib and tertiary veins branch off the secondaries. To read more click this link.
What’s your favorite . . . spring time or fall time?
As a Biology teacher, every year I tried to make my students collect something- flowers, insects, pictures, and of course leaves. One year one of my students became enamored with Japanese maple leaves, and carried it over to his art class. He pressed them, mounted them on canvas, and then sealed them with shellac (?). But, why stop there? He painted a cardboard with black paint, and with a fine tip instrument, scratched away at it until Japanese maple leaves were revealed. Can you imagine how I felt when he showed me before they were displayed in the school? The only thing that topped it was when he gave them to me at the end of the school year. I still have these nature-inspired pieces of art after 15 years.
Such a great story Deborah Ann. Thank you for sharing. I would love to see your art gift. Would you, could you take a picture and send it to my email? I will post it here if you like that idea.
What a lovely article! Fall is my favorite season.
Tracy, thank you. I can’t decide which season is more favorable to me. Both seasons are inspiring. We are fortunate to live in a place where we can experience both. Don’t you think so?
Gail, what a lovely article. Fall is so beautiful, yet it has a sadness because the leaves are shedding their bright coats and baring their souls for winter. I love that spring is a rebirth and renewal and that new leave signal warm weather ahead.
Joy, thank you. So true, fall is gorgeous, but as the leaves float from their branches, I get melancholy. Yesterday, late afternoon, sun upon the leaves, yet still lingering on their temporary home, appeared like liquid gold.
Thanks so much, Gail, for showing us how to stop and look – really look – at the world around us. As a child, I was fascinated by leaves and autumn, would collect those leaves and try to preserve them. But they stay bright and colorful only so long. You are right, once their job is done, they disappear. One more wondrous, beautiful creation we are only honored to admire for a short time every year.
Fall is my favorite season, because of its transient beauty. Thanks for reminding me to “stop and smell the roses.” Or something like that 😉
Frances, thank you. Yes, stop and smell the roses. Long ago, in 1980, Jean Houston, a keynote speaker at an ASID* Conference, spent an hour talking about appreciation for the missed opportunities in life. She used the leaf and her walk through the park to make her point. She got a standing ovation. And . . . I remembered.
*American Society of Interior Designers
Thank you–I also love leaves and trees–does that make me a tree hugger? LOL
Chuckle. Tree hugger terminology hasn’t always been favorable. So I guess It depends on what you want to do with the tree you hug. Save it, or not? Now we can have another topic to write about, but it has been said that during the hippie years, the 1960’s or so, hippie’s loved everything and hugged trees as a pastime. For every tree that is cut down to use for manufacturer, we would hope one is planted in it’s stead. Oh, I know you were being facetious, but it is something to write about. Thank you for your comment.