shedding trees

[Fred Schueler]

Everyone,

Struck by the differences in the foliage of the Lilacs in the village,
I've ventured out into the snow to compare the state of the foliage. It
is a conventional wisdom that invasives from northern Europe retain
their leaves longer than native species do, and those that are selected
into cultivated varieties are more variable than randomly introduced
populations:

Lilac beside the outhouse: foliage all green, 50% of leaves fallen in
the past couple of days.

Lilacs between the Houses: 1 bush completely shed, the other green with
50% of leaves retained.

Lilacs along the Morehouses' house: foliage yellow with lots of leaves
retained.

Lilacs at Gaspump lawn: 1 bush compleely shed, one w 30% yellow leaves
retained.

Lilacs along Mill Street: leaves green, 30% retained.

Other alien trees in the village: Siberian Elm: leaves still green, only
a few shed; Norway Maple: leaves yellow, only a few shed; Honey Locust:
most leaflets yellow/brown, mostly retained (a huge crop of pods);
Common (Cathartic) Buckthorn: some bushes retain quite a few green
leaves; Shining (Frangulous) Buckthorn: some yellow leaves on small
bushes I cut yesterday - the Buckthorns in the shallow soil across the
street had shed their leaves early, while still in the grip of the drought.

Natives: Manitoba Maples, the Red Maple, & White Elms shed their leaves
some time ago, and some of the smaller Sugar Maples retain some brown
leaves on their lower branches, while the ones which had their leaves
die in the drought in August still retain the brown leaves.

fred.
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Frederick W. Schueler & Aleta Karstad
Fragile Inheritance Natural History - https://fragileinheritance.ca/
2024 annual letter: https://clt1233162.bmeurl.co/11E63979
6 St-Lawrence Street Bishops Mills, RR#2 Oxford Station, Ontario K0G 1T0
on the Smiths Falls Limestone Plain 44.87156° N 75.70095° W
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[Frederick W. Schueler]

On 11/9/2025 4:20 PM, Fred Schueler wrote:

> Other alien trees in the village

* and many of the Apple trees around the houses and out back retain
between 5-10% green leaves, while those along the east side of County
Road 18 are mostly completely leafless.

fred.
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---------Frederick W. Schueler & Aleta Karstad ------------

Fragile Inheritance Natural History - https://fragileinheritance.ca/