Every year at this time, when most leaves have fallen in Eliza Howell Park, walkers notice that a few trees hold onto their dead leaves long past the time most have fallen.This phenomenon is known as marcescence.

Marcescent leaves are more often found on oaks than on other types of trees. Among oaks, this occurs only in some cases and is more common in young trees than in mature trees.

There is a group of several Shingle Oak trees that has been the epitome of marcescence in the park in recent years. (Shingle Oak is called that because the wood was used to make shingles.)

A couple of the Shingle Oak trees  are seen in the photo above. Here is another view of the clump (the tree in front with slghtly lighter-colored leaves is a Turkey Oak).

The leafless tall tress in the background are also oaks, mature trees. They indicate the relative youth of the marcescent trees.

Based on observations made over the past several years, I think it is likely that the Shingle Oak leaves will hang on all winter, most of them not falling until March.

There are some leaves that have not yet fallen from a few other trees in the park. One mature Swamp White Oak retains many of its dead leaves,

but I would be surprised if these leaves remained late in winter.

Some young American Beech trees show marcescence as well, but only the small ones. Beech trees and oak trees are in the same family.

Probably because it is the exception, I have long been fascinated by marcescence, by the reality of deciduous trees in this northern climate retaining their dead leaves through the winter.

In Eliza Howell Park, no species exemplifies marcescence better than Shingle Oak.