While the thermometer may not know it, autumn 2024 is almost half gone. Even so, the trees and plants are reacting to the gradually shortening days.
Surely, the temperature will noticeably drop in a week or two, but in the meantime the greenery will steadily retreat. Native plants have stopped producing new foliage and some are beginning their annual leaf drop.
This seasonal defoliation has several revealing benefits for those who venture outside and frequent forested areas. The cloistered sensation gives way to open spaces under the branches and boughs.
For those who take advantage of deer season, this is a positive factor. The hunters are able to see and accurately identify their quarry far sooner.
For the casual observer, the arboreal unveiling sometimes exposes features that have been concealed from view. These revelations can help positively identify the tree or plant in question for a novice.
As deciduous trees drop their leaves in autumn, obscured features are revealed. Hidden behind the foliage there may be globular insect colonies, nesting sites for tiny wasps or obnoxious burrs. Autumn begins the exposure of summer’s secrets.
An example would be maple trees and sweetgum trees. Both have similar leaves, those that look like the leaf on the Canadian flag. Both trees are deciduous, meaning they will lose their leaves in the autumn.
The distinctive difference readily obvious in the autumn is maples have seeds with tiny wings, if they have any at all. Sweetgums have burrs which contain the seeds.
Anyone considering the installation of one of these will want to consider this seasonal residue from these different species. Most reject sweetgums because of the burrs are more work to remove from areas with foot traffic.
Pecan trees are currently losing their leaves, and the nut crop is ready for harvest. The husks are opening, and the tasty delicacies are falling to the ground.
The leaf drop can also expose an insect colony hidden high in the branches. Fall webworm nests are often easily visible high in this tree near the canopy.
This caterpillar species builds a silky structure which allows most of them to mature into moths. The moths will lay eggs in a suitable tree nearby and repeat the process.
Fall webworms can be found in other tree species such as cherry, but the cherry trees do not have large husks which splay open with pecans inside. Even for an amateur the identification is easy.
Oaks in some areas of panhandle Florida have a hidden feature which is more observable in autumn.
The two most common in north Florida are Water Oaks and Swamp Laurel Oaks. Both species prefer sandy soil and can be plentifully found near swamps and wet lowlands.
Curiously, both oak species are highly favored by a type of gall wasp as an incubation site, but populations vary by locale. The eggs of this almost invisible insect are inserted under the tender bark on twigs and small branches.
The tree’s reaction is to produce a bulbous blister, sometimes with a circumference of a half dollar coin. While the galls may appear from the ground to be extra-large acorns, their existence only benefits the tiny native wasp.
For those with a hankering to know the lifestyle secrets of local trees, it is time to look up and see the whole story.
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