BY LESLIE REGO
Alder leaves are tenacious throughout the winter season. They cling to the tree’s limbs, truly a testimony to an indomitable spirit. The male and female catkins also persist. They remain dormant during the cold months, but nevertheless add texture and beauty to the sparse landscape.
Like the alders, the draping branches of the birch trees are heavy with twisted and curled leaves. On snowy days, the slender twigs appear like cascading waterfalls and on a frosty morning the waterfalls look like sparkling icefalls.
Aspens drop most of their leaves in the autumn. By wintertime, the tree is bare, although I will see a leaf or two tenaciously hanging on through fierce winds and snowstorms. As I am writing, a bird settles on an aspen branch, becoming a silhouette against the sky. The tiny creature appears like a paper cutout and I think of the paper dolls I used to make with my mother, a string of them holding hands. We would use newspaper. The starkness of the black–and–white newsprint seems to reflect the barren appearance of the bird and branch.
The bird is long gone by the time I finish. Only open air is left between each slender twig of the tree, but the fleeting memory of the winged soul remains etched on my paper.
Leslie Rego is an Idaho Press Club award-winning columnist, artist and Blaine County resident. To view more of Rego’s art, visit leslierego.com.