Ice storms, relentless wind and deer have been hard to say the least on some of the trees on my property. And while I know others have experienced far worse, I’ve spent several weekends dragging broken limbs across the yard. It’s been beyond depressing.
But now that the leaves are unfurling, I’m witnessing a quiet miracle on many of the remaining damaged limbs.
It reminds me of the musical "42nd Street," in which the lead actress is injured just before opening night. But then, chorus girl Peggy Sawyer steps in and saves the show.
Trees have their own version of Peggy Sawyer: latent buds.
Hidden beneath the bark, these buds lie dormant, sometimes for years. Unlike the buds that become the leaves we see in spring, latent buds remain inactive until they’re needed. They won’t grow unless something changes; an injury, an insect attack, a storm, or even a hungry deer.
But like a good understudy, they’re always there. They may never take the stage, but when a limb is sick or broken, latent buds can spring into action. And they do!
Here at Interlochen a while back, spongy moths completely defoliated the trees. The hairy caterpillars were everywhere. You could hear them chewing. You could hear the frass —yes, that’s caterpillar droppings — falling onto the cabin roofs at night. It was bleak for a couple of weeks.
But then, waiting in the wings, were the latent buds. And suddenly, we had a second spring.
So this year, as I look at my battered trees, I fully expect those latent buds are once again waiting in the wings ready to step in.
Because in nature, just like in the theater... the show must go on.
