Hanging on for good reason.
Have you ever noticed that some trees hang on to a patch of lower leaves long after all their other, more seasonally-obedient, leaves have fallen? I spied a few examples along the trail this week - in the middle of March!
I learned that this phenomenon actually has a name, foliar marcescence. And trees that exhibit this characteristic have another really cool name, everdicious. Now you know.
"Everything dies, no matter how big or small how weak or strong. We first do our job. We experience the sun and the moon, the wind and the rain. We learn to dance and to laugh. Then we die."
Leo Buscalgia, “The Fall of Freddie the Leaf”
Scientists know the underlying physiological mechanism for this but they’re not sure if it’s a detriment or a benefit to the tree. On the detriment side, it’s thought that strong winter winds and snow may have a more harmful effect on a tree with foliage by causing more branch breakage. On the positive side, these everdicious trees will have a fresh layer of nutritious, moisture-conserving mulch around the base in the spring when the leaves finally let go. I’m going with that.
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