Tom Keenan age 12, of St. Catharines, Ontario

Why do evergreens stay green?

The woods are getting ready for winters oaks, elms and maples have shut down summer operations, Their green leaves have turned to candy colors of yellow, brown, red and even purple. Soon they will blow away and fall to the ground. Not so the pines and the first scene they will look like the only living trees in the woods. All winter they stand green and busy among the dry, boney trees that lose their leaves.

Of all the evergreens, we know the cone bearing trees the best. Perhaps because we love their cozy Christmas foliage. The old earth, it seems, loves them too. For they were among the very first trees that grew in the world, Certain of the conifers, the redwoods and sequoias, are the oldest living trees on earth.

The evergreens certainly seem to be some of nature's favorite children. They have endured through long ages of cold and heat, No other trees have been so successful when it comes to coping with changing climate. Oaks elm and maple leaves cannot cope with a single winter.

This is because the cone bearing trees are specially built to withstand frost, heat, cold and drying winds. They manufacture a tangy, sticky stuff. called resin. Tiny rosin canals run through the wood, stems and leaves of these trees. This resin acts to preserve the tree. Should a twig or bough be broken, the resin oozes up to seal out the weather. It even discourages insects from attacking the tree.

Even more important is the leaf form of the conifer. Oaks, elms and maples have thins flat leaves. The tiny, breathing pores are close to the surface.. Cold, drying winds can steal more moisture than the tree can afford to lose. These flat leaves have no coats to protect their delicate skins from the frost. When the sap freezes into ice, the veins are broken and the leaves perish.  The tree expects this to happen every winter and gets ready by shedding its leaves in advance. But neither frost nor cold can harm the special leaves of the evergreens. '

We all know the green needles of the Christmas tree. A cross‑cut of such a leaf looks like a little half moon, The inside tissues of the leaves are packed closely together in a thick, leathery overcoat. The veins are nestled safely inside, Even the tiny breathing pores are deeply buried, The thick overcoat protects the leaf from drying winds. It keeps out the frost, Such a leaf or pine needle can stay green and healthy for three to seven years. Even when it falls, it is a long time before it decays on the ground,

Evergreens, then, stay green because their leaves can cope with the weather. Holly and laurel can cope with the winter, even though their leaves are not thin like the pine needles. However, their leaves are thick and sturdy, They are covered in leathery coats and glossed over with shiny wax, This is their way of protecting the veins and tissues inside from the bitter weather„