RECIPROCAL NATURE PROMPT

Looking at the Leaves in Fresno California

The Leaves That Steal Your Heart

I was in Fresno, California to attend a wedding when I read Dr. Preeti Singh’s Reciprocal nature prompt, ‘The leaves that steal your heart.’

I thought of the leaves back home in New Hampshire. Beautifully colored, then crinkled and now probably covered with snow.

It has been cold out here. Not quite as cold as back home. I look at all these wonderful leaves. Such magnificent leaves surround me. I’m not used to seeing many of these.

So many palms from all parts of the world grow huge in the warmth of this city and agricultural region of California.

Shiny green leaves cover the branches of Camellia, holding bright and multi-petaled blooms with fushia pink colored petals falling over green tufts of grass. Flowers were still blooming in late December.

It was nice to see but this story is about the leaves.

The mornings have been cold here and there has been frost at sunrise. The leaves of the japanese maple trees are fresh and bright. Autumn comes here much later than it does at home.

These maples really do steal your heart.

There is so much color left to see.

Falling Leaves gather in the gentle stream.

The oranges and reds will quickly fade to a pleasant shade of brown. They settle to the bottom below perfectly clear water flowing from autumn into winter.

But the leaves that really steal my heart whenever I am here visiting are these waving palm leaves.

Palm fronds far up above me, shimmering in the December hazy afternoon light.

These Palms with their fronds wave so happily over any street corner or parking lot. They grow so well here.

I hope they bring peace and plenty.

After I started writing this story I worried myself a little with the thought that palm fronds may not be tecnically leaves. They are my green leafy love on this trip and the subject of this prompt. I was relieved when I found out that they were indeed evergreen leaves.

Many Palm trees from all over the world

line the streets in agricultural areas and stand tall above the crops. waving their friendly fronds.

A driveway and palm forest.

Falling fronds sloughing off the slow growing trunks

provide small animal habitat and mulch for weeds at the bottoms of palm trees left to their own devices. Leaves give as much in death as they gave feeding the palm, waving high in the breeze.

It is so relaxing sitting quietly and watching these palm fronds wave in the breeze.

Leaving the city we drive through the flat farmland. Almonds, then pistachios, grapes and citrus, tomatoes and garlic in seemingly endless rows planted in perfect grids.

Are the palm fronds watching the fields or waving us goodbye?

Written in response to Dr. Preeti Singh and her Reciprocal nature prompt, ‘The Leaves That Steal Your Heart’. Anyone who would like to write on her popular and always interesting nature prompts will find what they need here…

Thank you, always, to the editors of Reciprocal, Sahil Patel, Yana Bostongirl and Dr. Preeti Singh, for your kindness and support.

The Reciprocal publication is built on reading and reacting to each others work. I am happy to spread the good word.

Please read Akemi Sagawa and those beautiful red leaves that might not appear to be leaves…

And Josephine Crispin asks the question…