the larch

when you read this i will be on my way to the funeral of a friend who died of breast cancer at age 55.  this tamarack, which is technically a conifer, loses its needles in the fall. it is native to the boreal forests of the north, including minnesota. this unique tree, an oddity of sorts, feels somehow apropos today.

tamarack tree with yellow needles of november (Larix laricina)