By Arthur H. Gunther III

thecolumnrule.com

There can be no autumn, no falling leaves of color without summer. The great beauty so many look forward to as trees follow their nature is a goodbye-until-we-meet-again moment, with the promise of greenery and shade for a hopefully new heralded summer.

Leaves are dropped so that moisture can be retained and until warmer weather invites chlorophyll and photosynthesis for the tree’s growth. To make us feel better about naked deciduous and the upcoming cold, the chlorophyll cutoff unmasks color. For a time, we become happy campers shuffling in new cover on sidewalks and country lanes.

We also get to rake leaves (if any of us still do that rather than pay hardworking landscapers) so that we relearn the lesson that there is a price for the sight that is beauty.

Autumn – falling leaves, brisk air, shortened days – is a metaphor for preparation – getting ready for cold, the winter, hibernation of a sort, dormancy, huddling within. Brrr time, but fortifying. Cuddling.

It’s Nature’s way, just as it is with trees following their nature. Those of us who live with distinct seasonal change know that, and my guess is those in other geography who see little change, though some, simply adjust while getting the message that there is a spring, summer, fall and winter to life, however it comes.

The writer is a retired newspaperman.

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