47 Leaves

47 Leaves, originally uploaded by e s c h e r.

Well what a surprise - leaves and sunlight again.

I collected 1 leaf each from 47 different plants and trees. What was interesting was the fact still not all the trees and shrubs had fully developed leaves. Where the maples had large broad leaves, flowers and seeds developing. The oak, beech and sweet chestnut have only just started to sprout and are covered with buds. There is also a lot more variation in colour than you might expect. Finally as I waited for the sun to emerge from the clouds it became clear how different leaves wilt faster than others. Some have a strong structure and lose water slowly some less so. Even within the maples the strength and water retaining abilities varied quite a bit. Ideally I would have liked to have been able to get the photos as soon as it was constructed but the sun had gone in. By the time I managed to get a picture many of the leaves had wilted and it was nearing being past its best.

I cannot name all 47 leaves but these are the ones I do know: beech, copper beech, sycamore, 4 different maples, apple, cherry, bramble, dock, dandelion, plantain, rhododendron, 2 types of oak, hazel, laurel, stinging nettle, willow, silver birch, rowan.