Why do trees hold on to their leaves?

Why do trees hold on to their leaves in winter?  We get asked this question quite often.  The short answer for the impatient reader is sex, or more specifically, puberty.In some years, cold weather comes on so suddenly that leaves are killed by frost.  Last year, a sudden cold snap came on the heels of […]

Bleeding sap in sugar maple

Sap flow in spring

Have you noticed any cut branches lately?  Freshly pruned or broken branches at this time of year often ‘bleed’ sap, and that sap may taste very sweet. Just before trees leaf out, they convert a large amount of starch to sugar.  The high concentration of sugar in the xylem sap causes a flow of water […]