The leaves
that I observed and collected from the leaf litter at the base of tree all
differed in shape, size and colour. The differentiation in the leaves suggests
that some may be from a different species of tree and have been blown towards
our tree by the wind.
Touch and
sight: The older,
brown leaves felt much more delicate
than the yellow and ‘greener’ leaves. The tips of the
longer leaves appeared to be decaying
and were grey in colour. The texture on the surface of these leaves
resembled very fine sandpaper. These leaves also crumbled and snapped
under very little pressure.
The yellow
and green leaves found on the ground were much more durable than the brown leaves. They could be bent over on themselves
without breaking. The ‘greener’ the leaves were, the more durable they seemed.
The yellow ones were still durable but not as firm as the green leaves. The difference in colour most likely
suggests the age of the leaves and how long they have been on the ground.
Branch Leaves
Touch and
sight: The leaves on
the branches all seemed to be a similar length. Some were more rounded and others were pointy. They all felt leathery to touch, aside from the lumps and bumps, most likely caused by feeding insects.
The insect
bites on the leaves were most prevalent
on the outside edges of the leaves. The
reason for this is most likely because this area of the leaf would be thinner and less fleshy, thus easier for a small insect to bite through.