letting nature back in

Flowers are often the focus when we think about gardens, and when we photograph them too. Leaves, seeds, grasses and bark, although beautiful, interesting and photogenic, are neglected by comparison.

So today I thought I’d share a random selection of photographs taken of the leaves of indigenous plants in our garden.

I decided to have no captions and no names of plants in this post.

These photos were taken across all seasons.

One of the first posts on naturebackin.com celebrates leaves. You can find it here:  The garden’s magic carpet

Leaves are most noticed when brightly coloured or large or if they have exceptional form, but many subtle pleasures can be found in less flamboyant leaves.

Green is not one colour, and leaves are infinitely varied.

Even the most everyday plant can be fascinating when looked at anew and even when it is not flowering.

Leaves bring warmth in autumn and winter, and coolness and shade even in a heatwave.

Leaves are a source of nourishment and can have a significant affect on our emotions and sense of well-being

Often overlooked in the garden, leaves are vital to a plants survival. They provide food and shelter for many creatures, and that can include us humans. Sometimes the obvious is worth stating?

Leaves are important in human culture and history and play their part in myths, legends and folklore.

Leaves are part of the cycle of life and without them nothing would flourish or even survive. They are a crucial factor in building and protecting the soil that sustains everything that grows.

Leaves are simple and complex and delightful.

Great forests are sustained by rich deposits of fallen leaves, and so why in the garden do we rake them, burn them, dispose of them? I choose to leave them where they fall. Perhaps that is why they are called leaves?

Posted by Carol