Many Rosslyn rituals this time of year are subtly observed. Autumn vibes and autumn poetry at every turn. But others are etched into the autumn workflow to ensure they’re not overlooked. Fall foliage cleanup. Putting the garden to bed. Undocking. Aeration… This evening we observe we slow the seasonal tempo long enough to romance the basswood’s autumn abscission which took place on November 14, 2024.
Artistically documented by Glen, this large feature tree’s autumn abscission stands apart from midsummer when the basswood (aka American Linden) drops its edible fruit.
Abscission in plants is the process of shedding unwanted organs. Leaf shedding from trees in the fall, in the northern hemisphere, is a very noticeable large-scale abscission event. (Source: ScienceDirect)
In other words, the vibrant fall foliage that we celebrate each autumn is the prelude to autumn abscission when no-longer-green canopies drift earthward.
Autumn leaves are not simply blown off trees but are separated from the plants in a highly controlled process. As day length shortens and temperatures cool, hormones within the plant are activated to begin the abscission process. Chlorophyll production stops and the pigment starts to degrade, often revealing showy reds and yellows that were masked by green. The vessels that carry water to the leaf and sugars to the rest of the plant are closed off, and a layer of cells, known as the abscission layer, starts to grow between the leaf stalk and the twig holding it. These cells serve to slowly cut the leaf from the plant without leaving an open wound. As the leaves fall, the plant enters dormancy, saving its energy for the great bud burst of spring. (Source: Britannica)
Glen captured a video at the beginning of our basswood’s autumn abscission and sent it to me with this note.
Does the basswood tree drop all its leaves at same time? Looks like that is happening this morning. Was coldest night of season so far. — Glen Gehrkens, November 14, 2024
Here’s the mesmerizing video.
Unlike the gingko tree that pretty predictably loses her leaves all at once, usually following a deep frost the Basswood sheds her foliage a bit more gradually. Normally, at least, but not this year.
This end-of-season transition invites a moment of reflection on this densely leafed shade tree’s other recent cameos.
Linden Tree Lunch
We returned home from a heat-indexed 102° Essex Day for a languid lunch — quiche and garden-to-table Caprese salad (with aromatic purple basil) followed by watermelon — under the shady American Linden. (Source: Essex Day)
Basswood Fruit Drop
Another of nature’s interlopers are the American Linden (aka Basswood) seed pods. Each summer this wildly productive tree sheds a staggering number of fruit/nuts across the upper lawn. A veritable carpet of seed pods like a shadow beneath the canopy. And, because our teak dining table currently enjoys pride of place under the linden, the newly cleaned and oiled table top appears to be inviting one and all to a mysterious smorgasbord. (Source: Nature’s Interlopers)
Basswood “Hair Cut”
I recently wrapped up an update on Ben Collins’ tree work with this glow-up.
Let’s wind down this arborist play-by-play… [revealing a] tidied up view of the American Linden growing outside my icehouse loft window. Handsome under-canopy, right? (Source: Tree Tuneup)
After Autumn Abscission
During the fall of 2022 Hroth Ottosen made this moody portrait of the almost totally denuded basswood from my — at the time still under construction — loft window.
[From my desk window in the icehouse loft,] … my morning view… will be filtered through the enormous American Linden (basswood) tree and across the upper lawn, through the ancient ginkgo tree and across the front lawn to Lake Champlain. (Source: Loft Office View)
Leafy projections from the perspective of post autumn abscission, basswood no longer filtering through a vast green canopy.
What do you think?