bitemark01 t1_irs4c7h wrote on October 10, 2022 at 4:52 PM

Reply to comment by Not_Leopard_Seal in Is there an evolutionary reason behind deciduous trees’ vibrant fall colours? by Team_Ed

That's interesting, I didn't know they pulled back the chlorophyll, thanks for the explanation!

Recently a few maples in our neighbourhood got infested with moths, one had all of its leaves eaten by mid-June. I thought it might kill the tree, but it popped out all of the empty leaf stems and simply regrew (smaller) the leaves. I always wondered what kind of energy expenditure it was for the tree to d o that, now it seems like more than I realized.

Highwaymantechforcer t1_irs7lyj wrote on October 10, 2022 at 5:13 PM

Complete defoliation of a bonsai maple can be performed in late June to encourage a full second flush of smaller leaves in a beautiful deep red colour, the tree has more than enough stored energy to do this. It only takes around 4 weeks to get back to a full dense canopy. Not recommended every year as it does consume energy but you can do it every few years. I assume a full size maple can withstand a similar treatment, certain seems so according to your observations.

phred14 t1_irsr35m wrote on October 10, 2022 at 7:25 PM

We had a major spongy moth caterpillar problem this year, hitting mostly oak, but our crabapple and a few other trees as well. All refoliated. I had wondered about the metabolic costs and trade-off, thanks.

phred14 t1_irw7pax wrote on October 11, 2022 at 2:39 PM

I forgot one exception. We have a white oak, and I've been told that they're wonderful trees to have. So I worked hard at keeping it clear of caterpillars, with some success. It partially refoliated where there was more damage, but kept on with the lightly damaged leaves. An interesting question in how much damage calls for refoliation.