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Science Sunday: why is the tree losing its leaves?

August 7, 2011 Ticia 11 Comments

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Our kids were each given when they were born a tree.  I think it is a very neat tradition that our friend started for us, and now the kids have decided the big huge live oak tree in our backyard is Mommy and Daddy’s tree/

But, earlier this week the boys looked outside and saw their trees were losing leaves.  This led to the question if it was fall yet, to which I replied no……

 

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So, that got us to thinking why would a tree lose its leaves early?

 

Well, first we talked about why does a tree lose its leaves in winter and what does a tree use its leaves for?

 

A tree loses its leaves in winter because it doesn’t get the nutrients it needs to keep the leaves healthy, and this helps the tree conserve energy.

 

Then we remembered a tree uses its leaves to help it get more food from the sun, but it needs lots of water to grow the leaves and keep them healthy.

 

And how long has it been since we got a rain storm of any significant amount?  Over 3 months.  I think even longer than that.  I don’t really remember any spring rain.

 

According to this, Austin is in one of the worst droughts ever.  So, we all agreed that the tree is losing its leaves to help protect itself against the lack of water.  And after a quick google search, we’re proven right.

 

Why are trees losing their leaves so early this summer?

STEM Science Sunday

Comments

  1. Raising a Happy Child says

    August 7, 2011 at 7:48 am

    That's a great practical study. Sorry about the drought. Now I need to do a study why our lemon trees withered so badly this year. Something is bothering them, but I am not sure what…

    Reply
  2. Crisc says

    August 7, 2011 at 8:15 am

    Very interesting. The weather has been crazy in MI so you never know what kind we will have here. Thanks for hosting =)

    Reply
  3. Joyful Learner says

    August 7, 2011 at 9:18 am

    What a great tradition! Our fig trees haven't ripen yet which is strange too because last year, we had two rounds of ripen figs around this time.

    Reply
  4. musicalmary says

    August 7, 2011 at 11:23 am

    Hi Ticia! I had some trouble with Linky Tools this morning and it looks like I linked up 2x… but can't figure out how to delete one! I'm sorry!

    Reply
  5. Christy says

    August 7, 2011 at 10:07 pm

    So interesting! I can't imagine going that long without rain!!

    Reply
  6. Julie says

    August 8, 2011 at 12:41 am

    We're having the same issue here. The leaves on certain trees have turned yellow and are falling. We haven't had much rain recently either.

    Reply
  7. Savannah McQueen says

    August 8, 2011 at 2:27 am

    Thanks for hosting this…my link has been duplicated. I don't know how I managed to do it, though. Can you delete one of them?

    Reply
  8. An Almost Unschooling Mom says

    August 8, 2011 at 1:46 pm

    When I lived in Sask, I remember we had to water all the trees in the summer, to keep them from losing their leaves. I wish we could send you a little rain – this has been a record wet season in our area.

    Reply
  9. Wonder Mom says

    August 8, 2011 at 4:17 pm

    We are OK in the rain department here in East Tennessee, but it has been SO HOT that I am noticing the tomatoes are having a hard time turning red…

    The balance of Nature (and its Creator) are so interesting…

    Reply
  10. Jenny says

    August 9, 2011 at 3:17 am

    Great study. We finally got some rain here and it soaked everything pretty well. Sorry about the drought though!

    Reply
  11. Kristy Hom says

    September 4, 2011 at 6:59 pm

    This was a great study project!

    I hope your kids' trees get plenty of good drinks in the future, and that they experience the joy of the trees leafing out in the spring!

    I live in SE Arizona, where we have also been experiencing extreme and exceptional drought this year. (and quite a few fires)

    I hope you get some tropical moisture soon, but gentle rain, not with hurricane force weather.

    Reply

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Ticia Adventures in Mommydom Hi, I'm Ticia! This is the adventures of my family in life and learning. Follow along with us as we share our adventures. We're having a lot of fun and learning as we go.

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