The hard frost we had in late September made
for one of the finest shows of autumn leaves we've ever seen.
Thanksgiving Day brought the peak of fall colours to the
landscape. Did you get out to soak in the beauty last
week?
Of course, it never lasts very long. Once the
chlorophyll is sucked out of the leaves and back into the tree,
the leaves can't hold on very well. They start dropping with
the slightest breeze. Heavy dew will send them tumbling to the
ground, as will another light frost.
Then the first strong winds of October come.
With each gust of the northwest wind, there are more leaves in
the air then there are on the trees. When the wind finally dies
down, all those leaves end up on the ground.
For the next week or two, I just love to walk
around in the forest. That marvellous sea of colour we saw
rolling over the landscape last week now carpets the forest
floor. The brilliance of the forest gleams from below. One
particular patch under the poplars shone yellow as brightly as
the summer sun. Little bits of green still marked many of the
leaves, giving contrast and depth to the hues.
Breathtaking!
Ah, but it won't last. All too soon even the
colours on the ground will fade. The crisp, bright colours of
autumn leaves will turn to brown underfoot.
Still, the work of the leaves isn't finished.
The leaves that fall from the trees to blanket the ground will
be used by the forest. They'll keep the frost out of the ground
for a while. They'll pile up in places and protect some little
critters from the cold of winter. Micro-organisms will begin
their work of breaking things down, and release the nutrients
back to the ground to nourish next summer's growth.
I could use some of those leaves around the
cabin. Piled up high around the outside of the building, they
help to insulate my home too.
One autumn, many years ago I went out to rake
some of the leaves to bring home. I filled the wheelbarrow.
Then when I looked around, the ground looked so naked and cold
that I put all the leaves back. I just couldn't steal the
leaves from the voles and salamanders.
Instead we started to collect leaves in the
city. After all, hardly anyone there has any interest in
keeping them.
Most of the work is already done for us! The
leaves are raked and packed into bags, sitting by the
curb.
We pick up the bags, haul them out along the
highway, up the gravel road, transfer them to the boat, across
the lake, and then arrange them happily all around the cabins.
Like curling up under a big, warm blanket, I feel warmer just
looking at the tucked-in buildings.
If we get any extra leaves, I'll pile them
thickly on the garden. I might dig them in a bit, then pile
more on top.
Come spring, I'll pull back the leaves to let
the ground warm up, then plant tomatoes and tuck those leaves
around again. This will make better soil and fewer weeds.
The leaves from around the cabin will be put
in a big pile next spring, and left to compost for the garden
the next year.
Viki Mather lives by a lake near
Sudbury.
