Fun forest facts #1

Happy Wednesday, friends!!

Spring has sprung, and Simon and Oliver have been busy doing Spring forest cleaning!

Most of the snow has melted, and there is much to do to get ready for the warm months ahead.

Did you know that trees produce tiny leaf buds for the following Spring, in Autumn and Winter? These buds form at the end of each Summer, while they still have the energy to grow. The buds lie dormant in Winter, and wait for the warmth of Spring.

The new Spring leaves help the trees catch the sunlight, on long summer days. They do their best to unfurl these leaves by the time Summer arrives.

These amazing leaves use water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide to turn into sugars that feed the tree, and provide the oxygen that we breathe. This is called PHOTOSYNTHESIS.

After our unusually warm Winter here in Southern Ontario, the trees can get confused, and buds may break through too early. Simon is always as gentle as he can be, with the newly budding trees.

Take a walk in the forest, and look to see if the trees are budding! You may even see a little, yellow bird...