Deciduous trees are the attention-getters in spring, summer and fall. We know it is finally Spring when the new leaves have fully developed on the branches that have been bare all winter long. It is a dramatic change! The evergreens’ spring growth is no less amazing, however.
New growth blankets the young spruce and fir trees, covering the ‘old’ with a bright new coat. The growth is soft and tender and hardens off as summer progresses.
The new growth on pines, spruces, and firs is called candles–a new flexible stem and developing bundles of needles. The upright ‘candle’ look is epitomized on the pines as the new growth emerges upward from the old needles.
The young evergreens throw out their candles and grow with abandon, maturing a little more with each year’s growth. Sometimes it seems to go exceedingly slow as only inches are added with a whole 365 days of life. But the growth really encompasses more than the new candle of needles. After the new growth matures and hardens off in the summer, it will develop terminal buds that remain dormant until next year’s spring flush of growth. The trunk and branches will increase in size with another ring of growing cells. And the root system will continue to grow deeper and longer to provide nutrients to the developing tree. We see the candle growth, yet much of the important growth goes undetected.
And when the tree matures, cones develop that house the seeds and pollen. Some cones mature and release seeds the same year as formed; others, like the white pine, release seeds the second summer.
The young of a species grow their fresh new coats every year, becoming taller and more mature. Their work is growing! The older ones become more productive to the world around them, along with their new growth. And finally, the old, mature individuals work to populate a new generation, to provide a respite for others, and to make the living community a good place to dwell–and still, they send up new shoots of growth!
New growth looks good on all of us–what is your candle?
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