All About Trees in the Spring
Many people love Spring – it’s a time of year when the days become longer, weather warms, fruit and vegetables become abundant and animals return. It’s also a time of year when trees show off their beautiful blossoms and array of color. Trees in the Spring months are often full of blooms, and even the ones that aren’t flowering will begin to bud and regrow their leaves. Spring is known as a time of new beginnings and that’s for good reason: during the Spring months, trees work on a biological level to ready themselves to produce seeds and for the pollinators to come around.
Spring Trees!
Most trees lose their trees in the Fall after having used them throughout the Summer months to harness energy from the sun and create chemical energy for maintenance and growth via photosynthesis. During the Spring months, many trees will start to bud, which will have a different look depending on the type of tree. For example, the buds of a Sugar Maple tree are a bit pointy with a brown or reddish appearance. Yellow buds appear on hickory trees and beech tree buds are long and narrow.
From a distance, the buds on a tree may appear like a small stick. However, if you look closely, you'll notice that the buds include many small parts (called scale). These parts are basically a type of leaf, the job of which is to protect the bud during Winter. Inside, a bud is composed of many tiny leaves. These are the leaves that will grow in the Spring and Summer months.
Signs from Tree Buds | Bud Breaks
After the weather warms and buds form, flowers, leaves or even fruit will appear on the tree. This is referred to as a bud break, which happens when sunlight levels are appropriate for the type of tree. The cells in a bud recognize this sunlight and will break open with the time is right.
When the trees in your area have their bud break, it will be quite obvious - flowers and leaves are suddenly visible on the trees and, if you have seasonal allergies, you will most likely begin feeling symptoms.
Function of a Tree in Spring
The truth is that every tree actually has flowers. Some flowers on trees are quite visible, while the flowers of other flowering trees are less visible. In some trees, the flowers may be quite small and green in color – these appear at the same time that the tree leaves. Unlike visible flowers, these have a different role.
Leaves work to capture sunlight for the tree, which it will in turn use for photosynthesis and to produce energy. Flowers, on the other hand, are responsible for tree reproduction. Some trees have both male and female flowers. The male flowers produce pollen, while the female flowers are there to be fertilized via their stigma. Spring is also the time when seedlings that have been previously fertilized will take root.
In addition, other parts of a tree are hard at work during the Spring months. Roots grow quickly during the first parts of Spring to find water and nutrients in the soil. Branches also experience a high growth rate in an effort to find as much light for their leaves as possible. Sap, which is composed of water and minerals, is absorbed via the tree's roots. It moves up the trunk of the tree and into parts of the tree called alburnum, or sapwood. If you’re a fan of maple syrup, this is the process that creates it!
Planting New Trees in Spring
In addition to being a beautiful time of year to view all the beauty trees have to offer, it’s also a great time to plant new trees! Many families will visit their local nursery (or favorite nursery with a presence online!) and pick out one or more young trees to grow in their yard. It’s a great time for the trees to root in and grow and flourish during the coming months!
Spring is also a great time to grow a tree memorial with The Living Urn - family can gather in the warmer weather outdoors and hold a planting ceremony to honor a loved one with a beautiful tree growing from the bio urn holding a loved one’s ashes. This tree can be cherished for many years to come as it grows and thrives and brings new life into the world!