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| Source kanecountyconnects.com |
Most do, in fact. However, some do not.
I don't remember the exact year I figured this out for myself, but it was well into my mid-adult years.
Many times I would notice dry, curling brown leaves still attached to some trees in late November or early December, but I figured they would make their way onto the ground eventually--after all, fall foliage doesn't even begin to appear until late into the year in the warmer, more southern states, in which I have lived. And, in those temperate climates, spring often arrives by March, so I guess I never stopped to notice that those dead leaves stayed on the tree for the entire winter!
Marcescence, it is called.
A simple stroll though the winter woods will reveal quite a few examples of marcescence, this trait of certain trees to retain their dead plant parts. Most notably, beech trees, many varieties of oak trees, and some hornbeam trees, exhibit marcescence, in full or in part.
I've done a bit of research into this phenomenon recently--so why, exactly, do certain plants retain these dry and brittle dead leaves all winter long?
The best I can understand, after reading a few print and online resources, is that it truly doesn't serve much beneficial purpose for the tree.
Instead, the reverse is true: there is much benefit to be had in shedding one's leaves after the warm and long summer days have come to an end, when there are fewer daylight hours available for photosynthesis, the process plants use to make food. By shedding their leaves before the frosty weather arrives, trees can streamline their branches, reducing their risk of snapping under the weight of heavy snowfalls. In addition, many plants excrete waste products through these dead and dying leaves.
It makes sense that most deciduous trees do shed their leaves in the winter--there is much to be gained!
But this is not just a lesson for nature study. In fact, it makes me think and reflect upon my own life.
Where am I clinging tightly to dead things in my life, when it would be best to let them go?
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| Photo by Nancy Rose |
What habits no longer serve (or actually hinder) my current lifestyle?
What toxic relationships do I need to shed?
In what areas of my life do I need to move on...let go...release...and be freed up?
Just like we see in the natural world, the Bible speaks of seasons of life. One such passage is found in Ecclesiastes, a book of wisdom:
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace." Eccl 3:1-8
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| Source: natureformysoul.com |
So, at the start of a new year, I would like to challenge you, dear friend, to come alongside of me and also consider those dead and dying things in your life that need to be shed, too. Notice the trees in your yard, scattered throughout your neighborhood, or on your morning commute. Do you see and hear those dead, crackly leaves shaking in the wind? Will you allow them to serve as reminders to let go of, and give over to the Lord, those things that are no longer serving you on your faith walk with God? Will you lighten up your branches to make them ready for the storms that may be headed your way, or to create room for the fresh crop of springtime blessings, sure to come?
Oh, I hope you do, dear one!
May we all keep in step with the Spirit, the author and giver of LIFE, and run the race marked out for us with everything we've got, in THIS season of our lives!
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2
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