There they were. Scattered all over the grass were wilting green leaves from a towering oak tree. They were some of the first to fall this year, having yet to transition into oranges and browns as so many leaves do in autumn.
Lines of Branch and Ink
Few leaves remain on oak trees in late autumn, and the lack of foliage reveals the trees’ exquisite structure. I stand at the base of a bur oak tree and look up, imagining a squirrel’s point of view as it runs vertically up the trunk. The tree is a gnarly specimen with rough bark and angular branches that twist and turn in all sorts of directions.