All fall down
There are around 87,000,000 deciduous trees in the United Kingdom, (the ones that shed their leaves) with an average 200,000 leaves on a large, mature tree. So every Autumn roughly 174 trillion leaves turn a lovely shade of red, orange or yellow and fall to ground. That’s 174,000,000,000,000 – an awful lot of leaves.
What do leaves, carrots and eggs all have in common?
Did you know that the chemicals responsible for turning leaves from green into the rich Autumn burnt orange, yellows and reds, are the same ones that give carrots their orange colour and make egg yolks yellow. (Beta-carotenes and luteins for the science-lovers)
Even trees get hormonal
Drops in light levels at the end of summer trigger the reaction of hormones which take nutrients from the green leaves turning them to yellow, orange and then brown. So the tree ‘eats itself” and stores food to prepare for winter.
Bug alert
Did you know that certain types of trees warn each other when they’re under siege by insects? Researchers have found that willows and poplars infested with insects produce an excess of chemicals in their leaves. This makes then less attractive for the insects, and also warns neighbouring trees so they can defend themselves by producing the same chemicals.
Leaves on the line
There are 21,000 miles of train track to keep clear in Britain and it costs Network Rail approximately £50 million per year to manage the problem. No wonder our trains get delayed sometimes!
Taking a fall
We’re in Toronto, Canada. It’s November 10 2007, Toronto, Canada. Two teams – The Fallen Leafs versus The Wind Breakers – line up to do battle. Yes, this was the first-ever recorded game of leaf blower hockey! Want to know who won? Check out www.leafblowerhockey.com
That’s clever!
The first recorded example of people using air pressure to remove leaves comes from Japan in the 19th century, when gardeners used bellows to clean up mossy ground.
Make it easy
Honda’s Leaf blower makes the job a whole lot easier – it even has a cruise control feature. Hit the button and the engine speed is maintained without the need to hold the trigger and, with two air flows, fast or slow, small and large spaces can be tackled with equal efficiency. Its 4-stroke petrol engine is environmentally friendly, with a low fuel consumption and, for all important garden etiquette, it has a low noise rating to keep neighbours happy. With £100 off handheld tools till the end of October, the price should keep you happy too, making it only £249.
