Vincent van Gogh's "Autumn Landscape with Four Trees" was painted in 1884. This depiction of his parent's garden is more realistic than his later works, but he already was experimenting with vivid unrealistic color as a way to increase contrast. But the biggest contrast is that while the distant trees are leafless, three of the four trees are still holding on to their foliage.
That contrast can be seen in the November woods here in northern Michigan. Though leaves have fallen from most deciduous trees, young oak and beech trees tenaciously cling to their leaves. Mature oaks often hold on to their lower foliage until spring.
This phenomenon is called "marcesence," and nobody know for sure why this happens.
The fading dried up leaves probably are not all that appetizing. And they form shield to protect next year's tender, juicy buds from browsers.
Some think that if leaves don't drop till spring, they may provide the forest with a fresh infusion of nutrients just when growing trees need it most. Or perhaps, a springtime leaf drop forms a mulch to keep moisture in the soil during a dry summer.
I've heard folks speculate that these were once southern species that stayed green all year, and that only since the retreat of the most recent Ice Age glaciers have they moved into cooler climates. That idea seems like a stretch to me.
I don't know why oaks and beeches are marcescent, but I'm glad they are.
These leaves, which rattle gently in the breeze, make music in an otherwise quiet forest. And brown now, but bleached to silver by February and March, they create a welcome color contrast in a snow-covered landscape.
