Why Don’t Evergreens Loose Their Needles?

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Why Don’t Evergreens Loose Their Needles?

Backyard Wisdom - November 2019
by: Gilbert A Smith, ISA Board Certified Master Arborist

Everyone knows that deciduous trees go dormant and shed their leaves so that they don't freeze in the cold winter. So why don't evergreens shed their needles too? Actually, they do loose their older needles continuously throughout the year, as the older needles are shaded out by younger ones. This may happen most heavily in the fall, as is demonstrated every autumn, by our clients who begin to call, worrying about brown needles on their evergreens. The good news is, they never lose all of their needles, unless they’re dead. Evergreens are green throughout the year, but they don’t have the same needles forever!

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Why Didn’t the Leaves Fall Off My Trees?

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Why Didn’t the Leaves Fall Off My Trees?

Mother Nature’s Moment - November 2019
by: Lesley Bruce Smith, ISA Certified Arborist

The vast majority of our tree friends in the northern hemisphere do a great job of preparing for their winter journey. They don’t leave home, so their journey through time demands careful preparation for the freezing cold and weighty snows they will encounter during the winter. This year, those freezing temperatures arrived faster than normal. However, the native Illinois trees, early snows or not, go through the same cell hardening as during a balmy autumn. Thanks to a plant pigment called phytochrome, the cells that need to “harden” take their cues from the always faithful shortening of days, not our uncertain temperatures.

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