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tured and nibbled.
Where the leaf stalk, the petiole, is attached to the twig, preparations are being made to ready the leaf to fall in some autumn wind or rain. A broadly shaped “V,” like a smile on a happy face, will be left on the twig after each leaf begins its business of becoming a part of the earth. This “V” is the leaf scar.
With a lens I can see three dots, remains of what were the tubes carrying water into the leaf. They have built up a corky substance and sealed themselves off from the leaf stalk.
I note that at the upper tip of each of these leaf scars, there is a tiny bud. There sleep the cells that will produce leaves next spring. At the tip of each twig is another bud, somewhat larger. From this the twig will elongate and grow in April. A tree is always prepared for the next season.
The maple in the side yard is a very important part of my life here in Flint Hill. It is there, solid and reassuring all the time, a part of every day. Not only is it a great “water works," it is also a miracle of intricate beauty.
The Red Maple, Acer rubrum, is well-named by both science and colloquial usage. Some part of the tree is red at all seasons. Leaves are turning to scarlet now. Petioles were red during the summer, and winter buds will turn to crimson in February. Tiny, ruby-red flowers in early March will signal the turning of the year and announce that spring has come again to Virginia.
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