Unexpected Beech Leaves

Here's something I've noticed for the 4 autumns we've lived here. The beech trees, especially the smaller/younger ones, hold on to their leaves long after they are useful to them. Lots of trees do this. . . we had a Pin Oak in Idaho that didn't drop her leaves until spring. Delayed abscission in horticultural parlance. 

But the beeches are different this year. In past years, the leaves that hang on became a translucent white. We call them "ghost trees". They are a special kind of beautiful. This year, the leaves just turned brown. I'm wondering if the extreme drought is responsible for this? Then, the Plant Physiologist in me wonders if there are implications for their cold hardiness as a result of this lack-of-transition. Have they failed to shuttle down as many carbohydrates for wintering?

Well. We'll see. I am looking forward to the first snow, though the pragmatist in me says to be more circumspect. Ha. 

I had a Jasper Memorial hike this morning. The sky is blueblueblue, and the air was cold and still. My favorite kind of weather.

As in the grocery store, I like to pause for a minute or two, and contemplate my surroundings. The images don't do these middle-aged White Pines justice, but just looking up at them makes me realize how truly marvelous they are. What a gift.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Hemlock (turn right at the Hemlock) is like a dressed up ingenue, ready for the dance.

 And the grocery store? A construct that is so easy to take for granted. . .but once you start thinking about how many products, vendors, places of origin, sources of produce, and the management of it all; you quickly realize what a miracle of civilization our common grocery stores are.