Time to go

In two senses: last year's withered leaf is about to drop as the new leaf buds form and swell.

A couple of months ago I blipped about marcescence, the way that some dead leaves, especially those of oak and beech, remain attached to young trees through the winter instead of falling to the ground. There are various suggestions as to why this should be.

Inspecting this young oak tree I noticed that the old dead leaves have mostly gone now as new growth returns to the twigs. This one was almost literally hanging on by a thread until desiccation or a puff of wind finally detaches it.  It's a metaphor for all of us.