Senescence is a collective term for the processes that lead to the aging and ultimate death of a leaf.
In the fall, it happens quickly. In a matter of days, all the deciduous trees drop their leaves. They're green, they turn bright colors, they die. But, oddly, a few trees hang onto some of them even though they are no longer viable, wearing them like a protective coat all winter. They endure storm after storm after storm.
This time of the year, these leaves become as thin and fragile as tissue paper, but tattered and torn they still hang on. Why?
- Photo taken at Ijams Nature Center
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One possibility is an insect interfering with the signal that tells a leaf to drop, either by scarring the stem or injecting an antidote. There could be eggs on the leaf or a pupa inside it that are more likely to survive if the leaf is not on the ground.
ReplyDeleteDon't know the scientific reason but to me it means something more than just the scientific explanation, like....
ReplyDeleteAt times people leave us, they are not with us anymore but we still hang on to them in different forms ... Like memories.
Hello Rikki!
ReplyDeleteHow have you been? All is well here.
Wow! This is remarkable. I just love the way it all works.
Any notion what insect. Mostly its the American beeches that hold onto their leaves for so long.
Lyn
Hello Aby.
ReplyDeleteThis is great. Spiritual. You took the metaphorically route. There’s a poet that lives in your heart. Do you write? Perhaps you’ll like the Walt Whitman reference I used today.
Lyn