Here it is almost the beginning of January, and the leaves of the “deciduous” tree Liquidambar styraciflua are holding on. I see them all over town – they’ve sort of changed colors, but often the flaming tones they should have are missing here in Seattle, and instead the leaves are just a murky purple/black. I love the look of dried oak or hornbeam leaves that hold on through the winter; they rustle in the wind, and add to the wintry atmosphere, but these sweetgum leaves are annoying. Just drop, OK? Get it over with. Then we can get on with the new year.
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