My, What A Big Leaf You Have!
Would you rather hear this article? Click on the above audio to take a short “Walk In the Woods” at Harmony Hill!
Some of the finest moments we’ve had in nature have been when we’ve forgotten our age and simply walked in the woods just like we did as a child.; eyes wide open, ears perked for every sound, taking in the scents around us with each breath, a smile plastered across our face, and a skip in our step. It was our fascination as a child that firmly planted our feet in the outdoors as an adult naturalist, and it was our wondering and wandering then that still puts us face-to-face with the magic of Mother Nature now. George Bernard Shaw famously said, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” And we think that same sentiment extends to the mysteries found in our own backyards. We’ve explored some pretty amazing species and relationships in the natural world; but today we want to tell you the story of a species that grabbed our attention for one of the simplest reasons.
In the autumn, we see them change from green to brilliant shades of red, yellow, purple, orange, and brown. Later in the season, they rustle and shake in the wind, eventually floating down to the ground. In the winter, they crunch and shuffle beneath our every step in the woods. In the spring, we rejoice as they begin to grow anew and paint the forest in the newness of life. All summer long, we seek refuge from the brutal heat of the sun in the softness of their shade. Some are long and slender, as on the many pines on the hilltops at Harmony Hill. Some are small and heart-shaped, as on the Redbud trees. Some are simple and look exactly like they were drawn and colored by a child, as on the spindly dogwood tree. Then, there are those like the ones that caught our eye and had us giggling as we marveled at the way Mother Nature is effortlessly able to tie complexity and beauty together.
We are, of course, talking about leaves. Is there a more basic thing to consider when walking through the forest? This time of year, they’re nearly as ubiquitous as grains of sand along the creekbank; filling the forest and flowing in the late spring breeze. Like so many common things, it is easy to take them for granted because of their sheer numbers. But going back to that childlike amazement in nature, it is healthy and wonderful to sluff the jaded grownup and return to what made us become naturalists to begin with. A leaf can be unbelievably uncanny! Don’t agree? Come for a walk in the woods with us to visit a tree and a leaf so extraordinary, it deserves its very own spotlight!
Just up a short hill, mixed into Loblolly Pines and a few, scattered hardwood saplings, we saw a tree swaying gently in the breeze. Seeing the small trunk and the conspicuous leaves lit up by the glow of the rising sun, we stopped in our tracks and made a beeline up the hill. There before us was a small tree that we’ve seen growing in all sorts of habitats across the state.
Devil’s Walkingstick (Aralia spinosa) is a tree primarily found in the southeastern United States, though its range goes well into the mid-Atlantic states and can be readily found in east Texas. A look at that range shows it covering the area most would recognize as the “deep south”, Kentucky down to Mississippi and across to the Carolinas, reaching up to Virginia and down to Florida.
But what sort of common name is Devil’s Walkingstick? Even a quick glance at the stem of this tree will let you know where that name, as well as the species name of spinosa, comes from! The spines irregularly lining the trunk outline the places where leaves were, or the leaf scars, in previous years. Colloquially, we heard that only the devil could use that tree as a walking stick. In some parts of its range, it’s called “Prickly Ash” or “Hercules Club”, though it isn’t an ash at all. It’s actually in the Ginseng, or Araliaceae, Family! And there is another tree that has larger, thicker spines dotting its trunk that is also called “Hercules Club”.
The spines of Aralia spinosa extend onto the stems of the remarkable leaves growing this spring. Remember, it is the topic of leaves that got us here!
A quick recap of our dendrology class will help a great deal right now. You see, leaves can be simple or compound. Simple leaves are just that, one leaf growing from a leaf bud, making a single, simple leaf structure. Compound leaves are a cluster or structure of leaflets attached to a stem growing from a leaf bud on a tree.
Simple leaves are found on trees as common as magnolias, sycamores, cherries, dogwoods, and oaks. Compound leaves can be easily seen on hickories, ashes, pecans, and even the introduced mimosa tree. The concept of what a leaf is on a tree can be stated as straightforward as the structure that grows from the leaf bud.
Want to know if you’re dealing with a single, simple leaf or a compound leaf made up of multiple leaflets? Just trace your way back to where it connects to where the leaf sprouted from the tree! It is just that easy!
Now, let’s take it one more step with Devil’s Walkingstick. The leaf found on this tree is a bipinnately compound, meaning it is made up of multiple branchings of leaflets. These leaves can grow to be an enormous size! We have routinely seen them measuring 3’-4’ in length and 2’-3’ wide. Lengths of 5’ and widths of 4’ are not at all uncommon! And as for trying to count the leaflets, we have found leaves made up of 50-70 leaflets! For comparison, pecan trees have leaves usually made up of 11-13 leaflets.
We know we often ask you to take a moment to think about what we’ve just said, but indulge us as we ask you to do it again. These leaves can be made up of over 70 leaflets and be 5’ long and 4’ wide! Now tell us the child in you isn’t amazed by that and that seeing this species doesn’t get you excited about walking in the woods!
Most of the time, Devil’s Walkingstick grows to about 20’-25’ tall, but can exceed 35’ in height in good conditions. And because of those incredible leaves, it can attain a shrubby shade area of 10’-15’ when growing in a good spot. As for soil types that are good for this tree, we have found it growing in some pretty dry, sandy areas in the sandhills and coastal plain areas, as well as moist soils with some clay content in the piedmont and mountain areas. As long as there is at least some partial shade and soils that dry out, we expect to find Devil’s Walkingstick in a variety of places.
Later in the summer, a large cluster of small white flowers will bloom atop this tree. Attracting native bees, Devil’s Walkingstick can be an important source of pollen and nectar for a number of pollinator species in decline. Once pollinated, those flowers will develop into dark berries that are devoured by birds like thrushes and mimics, as well as mammals such as raccoons and opossums.
As autumn moves in, the massive leaves turn red, purple, and gold before dropping to the ground and leaving the trunk a naked spine-covered stem.
But for the spring and summer months, we have the good fortune to see the enormous leaves of this shrubby tree. And we have an immediate reminder that something as everyday as a leaf can be anything but normal; that something often overlooked can be the entire reason you should stare in wonder. And we have an instant connection to the child who ran through the woods, investigating everything they came upon. The early naturalist in us who found magic in everything we saw, heard, touched, and smelled is still there and, even though we have many more years behind us now, we remain enraptured by what others may walk past.
It isn’t just a leaf! It is a bipinnately compound, and occasionally, a tripinnately compound structure that demonstrates Mother Nature can take the normal and make it exquisitely complex. And it is Mother Nature tapping us on the shoulder, telling us to take nothing for granted and to always maintain that curiosity and astonishment which keeps us her eternal students. With that in mind, when was the last time you walked in nature and sought joy in the familiar? When was the last time you were enchanted by a leaf? You’re never too old to rekindle the magic.