People often ask me why some trees drop their leaves in the autumn and others hold onto them like a glorious coat of shimmering green through dark cold months of winter. ‘Well’ I say ‘do you want to hear the legend or the science?’ In variably people always ask for the legend first, so here is how the story goes.   

The dove of peace had her first child, though hoped for caused some delay and as it was now far into the autumn, many of the other birds had flown south for the winter, the dove was waiting for her child to be strong enough. 

  Unfortunately the mischievous winter wind blew too soon and the doves journey became perilous and full of treachery and woe. The snow blew in from the north, the temperature plummeted and so the dove and her child had to cut their journey short.  They sought refuge in the trees, they went first to the mighty Oak, ‘No’ said the Oak ‘I will not allow filthy birds to rest in my majestic branches’ so they went to the Maple and this tree also refused, they went to the Beech, the Ash, the Elm, and all other trees that we know now as being deciduous today; all too proud and refusing to give sanctuary.  

One last tree called to the doves ‘you can find rest and shelter in me, though my leaves are pointed like needles my branches will shelter you and your child from the icy northern storms and I will protect you till spring’. So they found shelter in the conifer, and survived to see spring and all was right with the world. 

The next autumn came in a very different way, the dove and her child were ready this time to leave with all of the other migratory birds but something different was happening, the Oaks leaves were turning a caramelised golden brown the maples turned a brilliant crimson, orange and yellow. Indeed all of the trees that refused to shelter the birds were changing colour and falling to the ground they had been cursed.

The only tree to remain green was the conifer, and so celebrated for this that every winter solstice the pine tree is taken indoors decorated and adorned for kith and kin to see and gather around. Now the science is very different, deciduous trees are cursed in the legend but blessed in reality the sap in the autumn drops from the leaves and branches into the roots, the leaves are shed and the top weight of the tree is reduced to prevent damage from winter storms, the tree hibernates for the winter and wakes again in the spring unaware of all the bad weather and lightless hours passed.

The leaves falling mean the tree can survive with little or no water. ‘No water in our wet winters ?’ you may ask, but water in winter in the northern hemisphere gets locked in ice. It is the indeed the Pine trees and Conifers that are cursed enduring the cold temperatures, storms and snow though they are well prepared with needles as leaves that have a small waxy surface that helps to conserve water and a sticky gooey sap that is filled with anti freeze and insect repellent. Maybe we do not celebrate the Christmas tree for its beauty in winter but more for its resilience in difficult times.