MARCESCENCE: That was the theme of my (likely) last nature journal entry for 2021, though I couldn’t remember the word at the time (and misspelled it when I added it to my journal later on).
This group of young oaks that I was observing was probably planted at the same time and so the trees are the same age. I noticed that some of the trees were still hanging on to their leaves whereas the others had shed all of theirs.
At first the trees with the leaves “felt” like a white oak to me. But then I looked closer and saw that the leaves were pointy, so they were red oaks — quercus rubra.
The ones that had shed their leaves had roughly textured trunks and a snaggly appearance to the limbs. I found the distinctive shaggy caps of bur oak (quercus macrocarpa) acorns at their base.
There are theories for why some trees — particularly young oaks, American beech, hophornbeam and witch hazel — hang on to their leaves throughout winter.
Maybe the leaves, once they finally drop in spring, keep the soil moist and provide a fresh injection of nutrients when they decompose. Or the bitter leaves on the tree deter browsing by deer and protect the young buds and twigs that they like to eat.
Whatever the reason(s), I appreciated the warm color they brought to the monochromatic landscape on a cloudy winter day.
I look forward to noticing how this patch changes as the trees mature. Will these red oaks be hanging on to their leaves this time next year or will they be ready to let go?