Ep 227. Sequence of Fall Leaves Brings New Life

As fall unfolds, trees show us the art of letting go. From green to gold, orange to red, each leaf teaches us that change brings growth and beauty. In this episode, Mary Stone reflects on how nature mirrors our own seasons of transformation — and how letting go creates room for new life.

Thank you for tuning in! 

Related Podcast and Posts: 

Sequence of Fall Leaves Brings Life – Blog Post

https://askmarystone.com/sequence-of-fall-leaves-brings-new-life/

Ep 83. The Fall of the Leaf 

The Fall of the Leaf - Blog Post 

Forager Chef - How to Make Shagbark Hickory Syrup 

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I'd love to hear your garden and nature stories and your thoughts about topics for future podcast episodes. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com. 

You can follow Garden Dilemmas on Facebook and Instagram #MaryElaineStone.

Episode web page —Garden Dilemmas Podcast Page

 Thank you for sharing the Garden of Life,

Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer

More about the Podcast and Column:

Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.

It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.

Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
Direct Link to Podcast Page

Transcript

Ep 227. Sequence of Fall Leaves Brings New Life 

Sun, Oct 26, 2025 8:31AM • 10:24

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Garden dilemmas, fall color, leaf change, Shagbark hickory, hibernaculum, hickory syrup, maple trees, anthocyanins, photosynthesis, leaf sequence, nature's lessons, letting go, personal stories, garden delights, seasonal changes.

SPEAKERS

Mary Stone

Mary Stone  00:00

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone, and welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries. It's not only about gardens. It's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learn from Mother Nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So let's jump in, in the spirit of learning from each other, we have lots to talk about. 

Mary Stone  00:25

Hello there. It's Mary Stone on a chilly, sunny screen porch. I think I had one of my last campouts out here the night before last, when it was 48 degrees. Somebody asked me what my threshold was, how cold I would tolerate on the porch. And I have to say, typically, I kind of aim for the 45-degree, you know, as the lowest temperature. But I've been out here in the winter sometimes to grab a night when it's not terribly cold, and I have woken to like 38 degrees a few times. Here is Jolie. Hello, there, my girl. 

Mary Stone  00:58

We are beyond the peak of the change of leaves before me, I see the golden glory of the tulip trees, snowing their yellow leaves, while others are still dancing on the trees. It's just so glorious. And I look forward to visiting a topic that's come up frequently, how leaves change color and the sequence of colors, though it's been different this year in New Jersey.

Mary Stone  01:20

 But first, I want to thank those who reached back after our last chat, readers' sagas of Shagbark hickories. Blaine Rothauser emailed a few shagbark hickory images. The trees are far shaggier than mine, like Cousin Itt in The Addams Family. Do you remember that show? Maybe I'm dating myself. Blaine mentioned that shagbarks make a great hibernaculum. I had never heard that term before. Blaine, the scientist always is so eloquent. It's a safe wintering place where bats hibernate to survive the cold and scarcity of food. They often hunker down in caves and mines and barns like mine, where there are cool temperatures, just above freezing, high humidity, and little interference from humans. And so to imagine that Shagbark hickories are also a place to hibernate, I think that is so cool. I just love bats, and I'm going to have to peek in the winter and see if I see any. I'll be very discreet, little bats. So, on to this week's story that starts like this. 

Mary Stone  02:24

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I have another exchange to add to last week's readers' comments about shagbark hickory that just arrived. James wrote, We have a few Shagbark hickories. The biggest one has a diameter of 20 inches. I harvested some of the shredded bark to make hickory syrup. I had never heard of hickory syrup, so I dug in to learn how. After you forage bark from shagbark hickory, you clean, roast, and boil it to create tea, then add sugar and boil until the mixture reaches the consistency of syrup. There is a recipe from foragechef.com, and I'll put a link in the show notes. I'm not sure I will do it, however, but it's a cool thing. 

Mary Stone  03:06

Yesterday, I tended to some shagbark hickory nut and leaf clean-up in my own yard. Jolie put on quite a show amongst the leaves and notched on a few nuts. Then her boyfriend, boo hickles, showed up. Isn't that a great name? The daughters named him. He is such a clown, and it is such a perfect name for him. My neighbor Bill was on his quad with his younger daughter. Then boo joined the ride. Jolie was thrilled. I adore watching them wrestle and chase as they frolicked. Bill commented on my maple trees. They are in their dark red stage before the shift to the bright red Blaze. I remember those trees being this high when I moved here 13 years ago. He pointed to about eight feet. Now they are well above the roof line and creating a canopy over the walkway to the back patio, which was my intention. My beloved umbrella pine graces the left side of the archway, opposing the Seriyu Japanese maple on the right behind her, a coral bark Japanese maple I planted to mirror the vivid red fall color. 

Mary Stone  04:09

Those of you in my area may have noticed it's been a lackluster fall. The ideal conditions for stunning fall color are a moist growing season. We were very dry during the summer, after a soggy, wet spring -- followed by a dry fall. Ours, too, was overly dry-- with sunny, warm days and cool nights. Yes, we did enjoy that. So we've had only one out of the three ideal conditions. 

Mary Stone  04:34

Bridget, of Forks Township, Pennsylvania, asked, Why do some trees turn red while others stay orange and yellow? That's a very good question. Bridget. During the growing season, leaves produce chlorophyll, which uses sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into food for the tree. This process, as you probably know, is photosynthesis. While there are multiple forms of chlorophyll, most reflect green light, hence why most leaves are green. 

Mary Stone  05:02

We all know that as the growing season ends, shorter days and cooler air signal the trees to hunker down for winter. The tree cuts off the leaves linked to water and minerals, and they begin to die as chlorophyll production ends, then sunlight breaks down chlorophyll in the leaves, revealing the carotenoid pigments, which are the yellow, orange, or red colors previously masked by green. The foliage of some tree species turns straight to tawny, tan, or brown, and is never part of the rainbow. Then they fall to the ground. Others cling to the trees until spring, when the budding new leaves release the old. I'm thinking of oak and beech trees. I adore how they cling to the branches, some of them, and they rustle in the wind in the winter. 

Mary Stone  05:48

This year, many tree species have turned brown that usually don't. It was the third driest September on record for much of the area, after all, poor leaves. The remaining chlorophyll produces an abundance of sugar, which is not used up by the tree. Red pigments called anthocyanins are created through excess sugar and intense sunlight. These pigments primarily serve as sunscreen, protecting the leaves from excessive, high-intensity light. That's why leaves in direct sun may turn red, while those on the shady side of the same tree may be yellow. 

Mary Stone  06:23

Sunny Days and cold nights provide the best conditions for anthocyanin production. And this year, the drought affected the plants' metabolism, which boosted red pigments. There is a sequence of colors that shows up in the fall, first yellow, followed by orange, and ending with red leaves. It's during the mid-fall season when all the colors overlap that we usually enjoy the peak color performance. But this year, worn, tired brown leaves hindered the display. But there's beauty in the brown leaves. They did their job absorbing nutrients to nourish the roots for the next season of growth. And so they are absolutely a beautiful part of the rainbow. Garden Dilemmas. AskMaryStone.com.

Mary Stone  07:09

As we witness the falling of leaves, what was once lush and green, we can feel a bit sad, bringing to mind losses or transitions underway in our lives. I'm going through one at home. It's been very difficult, and my dear friend Marty Carson is in her last stages of life, and there's a shift going on with the home for hospice I will share at another time. It makes me think of the classic children's book by Leo Bascalglia, The Fall of Freddie the Leaf. We spoke about it in Episode 83 I encourage you to tune into that episode, and I'll put a link in the show notes. 

Mary Stone  07:46

While Freddie, the last leaf on the tree, feared letting go. Once he did, he had the most magnificent soft landing in the snow that felt warm, and for the first time, he could see the whole tree and felt proud to be part of it. He saw the beauty of where he had been, and so can we. As you go through life changes, remember that Nature never hurries. Everything unfolds perfectly as it's supposed to. The same is true in our lives if we don't cling to what has been and resist the flow. Instead, let go like a leaf in the water; I hear my dear brother's coaching once again as he shared the lesson of the leaf when I gathered the courage and the merry-go-round of a marriage ruined by the neglect and isolation of addiction. He had said, Go to that water near you and find a leaf, watch it maneuver through the current slowly, beautifully, and serenely. None of us has control over the current, a parallel to the ebbs and flows in our lives. Our goal is to trust, let go, and live calmly and serenely, rather than resist the flow like a leaf in the water. Thank you, my brother, I needed to listen to that lesson of the leaf. 

Mary Stone  09:05

Once again, trees let go of the leaves that once nourished them, and by letting go, they make way for a new life by creating the nutritious soil beneath them. May we all do the same. Thank you for allowing me to share a bit of my personal story. I love hearing yours and how the wisdom of nature and gardens helps heal and grow your life. So I encourage you to email me at Ask Mary stone@gmail.com. We are here in this world together. We are growing through the seasons of life. There is so much to gain by sharing it with each other, and I am honored that you allow me to share this time with you each week. I so look forward to it, and to next time on the screen porch.

Mary Stone  09:52

Have a great day. You can follow Garden Dilemmas on Facebook or online at GardenDilemmas.com. On Instagram at the hashtag # Mary Elaine Stone. Garden dilemmas, delights and discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch, and always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life. Have a great day.