Entry #2: Leaf collecting in the University of Guelph Arboretum
A cold wind rustles the branches overhead, a shower of yellow, orange, and red leaves fall all around me. I pause and look up, only to be smacked right in the face. I flinch and step back, my boyfriend chuckles and walks ahead of me. The fall colours afford a great opportunity for collecting and pressing some beautiful leaves, especially in The Arboretum. Each one is like a work of art. I reach down and pick up my assailant.
During the fall, trees draw the chlorophyll back into the main body of the plant, and shed their leaves which they no longer need. Not all of the chlorophyll had quite made it out of this leaf before it fell: it had green around the veins fading into a splotchy red and orange. I twirl it in my fingers as I jog to catch up with my boyfriend. Another fallen leaf grabs my attention and I screech to a halt, bending down to pick it up. The colours in the leaves are antioxidants, that’s left after the chlorophyll is drawn out. The leaves use these antioxidants to protect themselves from overexposure to the sun.
When I straighten, my partner is standing ahead of me on the path, looking mysterious in his sunglasses and black jacket. We’re an odd pair to be certain: me, a tiny wildlife enthusiast, stopping and carefully inspecting leaves laying on the ground, and he, a big, dark, imposing, and some might say brute of a man. He waits patiently for me to catch up, and we walk on for a while before I get distracted by the skeletal shapes of dead rose bushes.
Many plants also carry seed pods in the fall, a culmination of all their hard work during the spring and summer, making it an ideal time to collect some seeds. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or just a fan of plants, collecting and growing different species can be very fun, and any collection of plants is a great place to grab a few seed pods. There are more than a few on the dried out rose stems in The Arboretum. I snap off two and pocket them, my leaves still clutched in my hand. We finish our tour through The Arboretum and its various gardens, albeit slowly and with many distractions.
Photos taken by Alora Griffiths