Winners Announced

Happy New Year, as promised, the winners of the Contest have been selected and notified. Congratulations to Scott G. in St Port Lucie, Florida who won the calendar. Grand prize winner Laura S. from Dillon, Colorado wins a print of any photo or painting off the site! Thanks to all who entered and keep coming back I plan to have regular contest through out the year
Cheers
Bill

Answer to Contest question:

A tree's roots, branches and twigs can endure freezing temperatures, but most leaves are not so tough. On a broadleaf tree -- say a maple or a birch -- the tender thin leaves, made up of cells filled with water sap, will freeze in winter. Any plant tissue unable to live through the winter must be sealed off and shed to ensure the tree's survival.

As sunlight decreases in autumn, the veins that carry sap into and out of a leaf gradually close. A layer of cells, called the separation layer, forms at the base of the leaf stem. When this layer is complete, the leaf is separated from the tissue that connected it to the branch, and it falls. Oak leaves are the exception. The separation layer never fully detaches the dead oak leaves, and they remain on the tree through winter.