A leaf is a leaf.

Apparently not! And I did leave a significant number of options behind.  :O

The ash trees were early shelter belt trees that we planted around the yard.  The yard only had a bush on the north side.  No trees for shade or pleasure except a bunch of chokecherry tangled against the west wall and an elm alongside the ditch at the bridge.  Ashes are very slow growing but at least they grew.  ;)

Birch grow locally but it took me some time to find a good spot for them to thrive.  The north side of the barn with the rain runoff seems to suit their fancy.  The woodpeckers sure like to drum on the trunks.  Circles or dots would be a good design element to add. lol

The Burr Oak.   When we moved here forty years ago I think we had one midsized oak tree on the edge of the bush.  I can't believe how many have sneaked into the bush and are changing its whole look.  I'm also very surprised to see a few elm trees interspersed as well because when the government 'improved'  the big ditch they destroyed the elm's root system and our biggest tree did not survive.

Poplar trees are very close cousins to aspen.  It took me a while to appreciate the light coloured bark and the rustling sound they make.  Now I'm worried about the oaks crowding them out.  :/

The willow, which I almost ignored as it is such a slim and simple leaf but my, I do like the colour and the shine and the fuzzy matte underside.  It pays to take a closer look and leave no leaf unturned!  This is actually the feature tree in the yard and the wind has done lots of damage to its two trunks and it'll be getting some 'pruning' this fall in hopes of saving it.

And now I must leave and see what I can do with all these options as today is 3Mt. ;-)