As you'll see in today's report, April is leaf-out month in many, many places. From an airplane in April, you can easily see the transition if you travel from north to south. In the north, where the snow has recently melted, the ground is entirely brown. Further south, the grass is visibly green but the forest floor remains brown. As the trip south continues, the light green of spring leaves finally appears and the brown ground beneath the trees vanishes from sight.
Thanks to students in Maine, Alaska, Wisconsin and Minnesota for their excellent answers to our last Challenge Question, "Why do you think spring arrives in British Columbia before it reaches Michigan?" Students all said the ocean's heat is responsible as you'll read below. Plot today's leaf-out data and see if the results support this idea.
When we received the following message from Ontario, several questions came to mind which we think you can answer:
Challenge Question # 106
"Why is maple sap sweet? Where does the sugar come from?"
"How is maple sugaring related to leaf-out?"
(To respond to this Challenge Question, please follow the instructions at the end of this report.)
>From ONTARIO:
April 5-6, 1996
Journey North:
On April 5-6 my family and I were at our cottage on Kapikog Lake.
The lake is located about 20 miles south of Parry Sound, Ontario
near the east shore of Georgian Bay. The leaves are not even
starting to come out yet, and in fact the sap was still running well
in the maple trees. We collected about half a large bucket of sap
from each hole on April 5. On April 6 it was cooler so we collected
less.
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LEAF-OUT REPORTS
>From OREGON:
April 4, 1996
Dear Journey North,
Our leaves are bigger than a quarter and flowers are blooming. Our tree is
called Flowering Cherry tree.
Payenna, Michael P., Brittany, Jake W., Justin, Katie, Tarra, & Sean
Teacher's Name: Ellen Kennedy, St. John the Baptist, Milwaukie, Oregon
ekennedy@teleport.com
>From UTAH:
April 7, 1996
The tree was an Aspen Tree. The leafs where the size of a dime, but they
only get to be the size of a quarter. Our school is higher elevation than
where we saw the leafs so the aren't that big yet--Tommy East.
Kathy East,Eastwood Elementary School, Salt Lake City ,Utah
keast@ibm.net
>From NEW JERSEY:
April 8, 1996
There are red flowers on our tree. The red maple is a beautiful tree. Our
names are Ykiki, Alison, Rebecca, and Jillian at the J.Spencer Smith School,
Tenafly, NJ. Smithread@aol.com
>From WASHINGTON:
April 8, 1996
We saw a Bitter Cherry tree with leaves the size of a quarter. We
have been looking at only native trees around our area.
MORGEN MANESS. MICHAEL BROWN, FIRGROVE ELEMENTARY, PUYALLUP, WA
Michael_Brown@k12.puyallup.wednet.edu
>From WASHINGTON:
April 8, 1996
We saw leaves the size of quarters on the trees on our playground. One
tree is the red alder and the other is the big leaf maple.
Mrs. Held's class , Bennett Elementary, Bellevue, WA
s425held@belnet.bellevue.k12.wa.us
>From WASHINGTON:
April 8, 1996
I was at my neighbors on their driveway. The leaves of their apricot tree
were quarter size--Laura LaBissoniere.
Tawni Taylor,4th Grade Teacher, Lince Intermediate School, Selah, WA
tltaylor@destiny.esd105.wednet.edu
>From OREGON:
April 11, 1996
Dear Journey North,
Our leaves have grown bigger than a quarter, and we have little pink
and white flowers too. Our tree is a vine maple. Kelsie MacKenzie
and Jake Murphy
Ellen Kennedy, St. John the Baptist, Milwaukie, Oregon
ekennedy@teleport.com
>From NEW JERSEY:
April 11, 1996
Leaves on baby oak trees. I also saw daffodil buds and Crocuses
Kelly Wittkop 1st gr.,Weather Club, Toll Gate Grammar School, Pennington,
New Jersey.
Kelly_Wittkop@hvrsd.k12.nj.us (Kelly Wittkop)
From NORTH CAROLINA:
April 15
The Bradford pear trees around
the school now have leaves the size of a quarter or a little larger. They
came out while we were out of school for Easter break. Most of these trees
will be in full bloom by the end of the week.
Mrs. Reese's 2nd grade class
Gamewell Elementary School
Lenoir, North Carolina
JSGamewell@aol.com
>From UTAH:
April 15, 1996
The leaf are as big as a nickle or a dime--Patrick East.
Kathy East, Eastwood Elementary, Salt Lake City, Utah
keast@ibn.net
>From LOUISIANA:
April 16, 1996
Spring is now definitely here in southern Louisiana. The pecan trees are
beginning to leaf out. These are some of the last trees to leaf out.
My husband's grandmother would never plant her gartden until she saw the
pecan trees bloom. At school we planted our butterfly garden at the end
of last week. Janice Catledge MAWSE@jazz.ucc.uno.edu
From OREGON:
April 18
Dear Journey North,
Our tree has leaves and flowers. The leaves are as big as a quarter. The
flowers are white with maroon edges. They have green buds in the middle.
Our tree is a dogwood tree.
Steve, Brittney L., Michael B., Rebecca, Kurtis,
Amber, Thomas, Megan E., and Julian
Mrs. Kennedy's First Grade
St. John the Baptist School
Milwaukie, Oregon (45.45 N, 122.62 W)
ekennedy@teleport.com
From NORTH CAROLINA:
April 20
The poplar tree by my deck suddenly has leaves. We have a few maples
in a sheltered place here at the university that have leaves that
would need 3 quarters to cover. Today I noticed the willow tree has
leaves. Also the dogwoods are in full bloom. They get their
flowers before the leaves.
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, North Carolina
vihnanek@wcu.edu
From MISSOURI:
April 22
The leaf I found was a pear tree leaf. It was the size of a quater.
Wesley of Lebanon, MO
rreid02@mail.llion.org
From PENNSYLVANIA:
April 22
In the Pittsburgh area we have had a tree achieve leaf-out. It was a
silver maple. The date was April 22. Since then other trees have
achieved leaf-out.
Sharon Chambers chamb+@pitt.edu
From NEBRASKA:
April 24
The buds are larger than a quarter on the maple trees, lilac bushes, and
magnolia trees.--Brian Maronde and Jill Heiden
Grade 4,
Benedict Public School, Benedict, NE
msleight@esu6.esu6.k12.ne.us
From MASSACHUSETTS
April 25
We are in Ms. Waldoch's 4th grade class in Amherst, MA. A maple tree at
our school has leaves the size of a quarter. Today is April 25th. We are at
72.31w longitude, 42.23n latitude.
Wildwood ES, wwes1@k12.oit.umass.edu
From UTAH:
April 28
The aspen trees have leaves the size of quarters finally!!!!! Some
of the other trees in the Salt Lake valley have leaves this big, but
the ones at our school aren't that big yet. They should be soon!
Patrick and Rosemary East, Eastwood Elementary
Salt Lake City, Utah keast@ibm.net
From ILLINOIS
April 28
Dear All,
As part of a graduate class, we had to choose a project on the internet to
participate in. Of all the ones I found, I was intrigued and delighted by
yours. So, since February, I have been waiting, watching, and trudging out
in the back yard with my quarter hoping for some reportable data.
Ours has been an unusually cold spring and very late. We have had only two days of 70+ degrees; our lows have continued in the 40's. The sugar maple seems to fit the quarter description (which, by the way, I thought was very clever as one always seemed to be readily available for my backyard excursions). They have a reddish appearance as they begin to open.
Redbud trees are aglow with dainty, pale pinkish-purple blossoms; heart-shaped green leaves will follow. (By the way, blossoms may open fully but will only be the size of a dime.)
Weeping cherries are fully open and draped and swaying beautifully in the breeze. Their leaves are thin and long--not a quarter's size.
Ah, my flowering almond is just about ready to open. First came tiny green leaves. Now deep pink flowers which resemble berries will soon burst open. They will open with a deep color and then become paler; when the first wind comes scuttering by or a breezy rain falls, so will the petals. At that point, one is reminded of the fluffy snowflakes of winter. The leaves are pointy and tiny, but the blossoms will open to quarter-size.
My flowering crabapple (which looks rather dingy when compared to redbuds and almonds)has a dusty reddish-green look. It will open to dusty pink regalia after about two more days of warmer temps (that could take another week). The open blossoms will be the size of a quarter.
Ash trees--they'll be the last to open and the first to drop leaves in the fall. We may have leaves by next month.
So, you can see--I love the outdoors (a gift of appreciation from my
parents) and was excited about sending my data to you. I hope it has been
of value to you. It gives me great pleasure to walk the yard and enjoy each
and every part of it.
Judy Rooney, Dacatur, Illinois
jrooney@icebox.ncook.k12.il.us
From NEBRASKA:
May 2
I have an apple tree with leaves as big as a quarter.
Mark Nickel, Mrs. Sleight's Grade 4
Benedict School, Benedict, NE
msleight@esu6.esu6.k12.ne.us
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Students Respond to Challenge Question # 71
"Why do you think spring arrives in British Columbia before it reaches Michigan?"
>From MAINE:
Hi! Our class voted to send 2 answers to the question about why spring
comes to British Columbia before it does to Michigan:
Our answer is we think the trees in British Columbia leaf out
before Michigan because of the warm winds from Mexico climb up
the Pacific Ocean to British Columbia and Michigan has to wait until
summer for their warm winds.
Sincerely, Matthew, Nicole, and Sarah
I think spring occurs in British Columbia before Michigan because of
warm sea currents to B.C. And Michigan gets cold currents from the
Great Lakes.
Ben Chandler
We are in grade 5 from Southwest Harbor, Maine. It snowed yesterday and is supposed to snow tonight, but there are lots of signs of spring including robins, ice-outs, and falcon and eagle activity. Bye from Pemetic Fran Howley (grade5fh@pemetic.u98.k12.me.us)
>From ALASKA:
We are the leaf out group for Sand Lake Elementary School in Anchorage
Alaska. Our names are Mary Savina, Scott Schlosser, and Nessa Livingston.
Our answer for Challenge question # 71 is spring arrives in British
Columbia before it reaches Michigan because it is located near the ocean
and the ocean stores heat. So if British Columbia is close to the ocean
it will have Spring before Michigan because the warmth is from the ocean.
W. Mike Sterling (sterling@corcomsv.corcom.com)
>From WISCONSIN:
It is because of the warm winds blowing off the Pacific Ocean.
PHIL AND WILL
OF IOWA-GRANT, WISCONSIN
Stephanie Dirks, Iowa-Grant School District, 498 CTY IG, Livingston, WI 53554
e-mail address: dirks@cybertown.net
>From MINNESOTA:
Hi, we are from Columbia Heights, Minnesota. We think the answer
to the challenge question is: British Columbia is closer to the ocean
where ocean currents are warm. The currents come up to land and the land
warms up. Michigan is mainly surrounded by land so it doesn't get ocean
currents.
Julian Stonechild, Minh Nguyen, and Chris Lloyd
0013vvel@informns.k12.mn.us
>From NEW JERSEY:
We are in Mrs. Hayes class, Tenafly, N.J. We think the temperature made it
grow faster. Our names are Yukiko, Alison, Rebecca, and Gillian. Our
committee is "Leaf Out."
Areduce@aol.com (smithread@alo.com)
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How to Respond to Challenge Question #106
1. Address an e-mail to: jn-learner.org
2. In the Subject line write: Challenge Question # 106
3. In the Body of the message answer these questions:
"Why is maple sap sweet? Where does the sugar come from?"
"How is maple sugaring related to leaf-out?"
The Next Leaf-Out Update Will be Posted on May 17, 1996
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