My Butternut Tree

You may remember I decided to join Lucy at her 'Loose and Leafy' blog to follow a tree for a year.  I chose the tall Butternut that grows in our old fencerow, and this is my report for February.

Our Butternut tree stands at the far edge of the yard beyond the shed.  I haven't been out closer to see it recently, because the snow is nearly 2 feet deep.  And my first thought in preparing a report for February was that 'nothing much is happening'.  How wrong I was!

Here's a view beyond the 3 feet of snow on our deck across the yard.  Notice how different the silhouette of the Butternut is compared to the other Ash and Maple trees.

I starting reading about how trees survive the winter when the temperature plunges well below freezing (it's been about -20°C here most mornings for a month or more), and I discovered it involves some fairly complex scientific magic!  Growth slows, trees go dormant, water migrates out of cells into the pores between cells, where it can safely freeze, sugars replace water inside the cells making them less likely to freeze, and in fact much of the actual tree does freeze - all the interior part that is dead wood.  Only the living cells have to be protected.

This picture was taken one early morning, and the significance really isn't the Butternut tree, but the sun, the sunrise point of which is migrating rapidly to the east, while the days are also dramatically longer.  Does the tree know spring is coming?

A tree would be killed by its living cells freezing, but these adaptations provide cold  acclimation, protecting the shrunken living cells, while allowing water (a tree is about half water) in between the cells to freeze harmlessly.  The colourful fall of leaves in autumn is only the first step in a very complex process.

I like these topmost branches of the Butternut, all turning to reach for the sky.  Maybe I'll seek out some different tree silhouettes to compare.

But it turns out my Butternut is doing all kinds of interesting things inside it's trunk and branches, to protect itself from the winter we enjoy for 2-3 months here.  I'm impressed, after two days ago I'd thought 'nothing much is happening'.

Linking to:

If you've thought of joining in, pick a tree to follow, and join.

The link-up is open for one week starting the 7th of every month.