Saturday, February 7, 2015

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.

15 comments:

  1. Thanks for the tree lesson, it is beautiful!

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  2. Amazing what life will do to adapt, isn't it?

    Beautiful shots!

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  3. Interesting post. Some vegetables, like parsnips and brussels sprouts, perform similar magic, which is why they taste much sweeter after a frost; they've produced sugar as a form of anti-freeze.

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  4. The snow picture with the deep shadows and fence are really interesting. I'm in the Amsterdam airport with slow internet so I'll make this fast. :-)

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  5. Oh wow, your explanation about how tress survive in winter made me consider myself being one :) and if I was one, I'd love to live in place with winter. It's amazing how nature's wonders work.

    The link I guess is very interesting, there is this one tree I visit every season to see how beautifully it changes colors, I also noticed how it is slowly getting old. Unfortunately, it isn't close to where I live so I can't monitor it as much as I probaby should.

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  6. A majestic tree! Thanks for the fascinating information.

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  7. Wow, what an interesting idea too! Very informative post.

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  8. I will enjoy your trees journey, many of the woodcarvers carve Butternut:)

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  9. Wonderful info on your Butternut tree! The photos of the tree and the sunrise are lovely..Happy Sunday!

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  10. I like this! And I'm glad you chose a tree I don't see much of.

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  11. Nice tree! I look forward to learning more about it over the next year.

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  12. Lovely silhouette photos of the trees.

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  13. Beautiful tree even leafless -- the long branches give it a broad crown. I like your snow and sunrise photos especially.

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  14. The shadow of the butternut is beautiful and clarifies its shape in way a picture of the tree itself doesn't (when one is distracted by other elements).

    How a tree copes in winter - I had no idea about the cells. Amazing procedure and clear explanation.

    And John's comment - I knew parsnips are sweeter after frost but hadn't known till now why.

    Really enjoyed this post.

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  15. Funny indeed how we think that nothing happens. Amazingly wonderful silhouette! (all of them). Watching your images this haiku came in my mind: "I see them now/ how they were/ bare winter trees". Sorry, I don't remember who wrote it...

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