Diary 7/21/14

The Madrone trees are doing their leaf exchange and bark shedding. Unlike other trees that lose their leaves in fall for the entire winter, the Madrones lose their leaves now and gain new ones through the end of summer. They also shed a layer of their bark. Then they will be green all winter with beautiful red berries from fall through winter. They are especially lovely when the snow adds a layer to the green and red. They are relatives of the Manzanita which evolved into a low bush where these are large trees.