As in the famous poem by Jacques Prévert, “the dead leaves are picked up with the shovel” in Gironde. With the historic drought raging in France, the sidewalks and roads are lined with dead leaves. A natural phenomenon but whose earliness is “more marked” This year.
Yes, it smells like autumn!
“Before, we started collecting at the end of October, beginning of November, here we are at the end of August, and we are already doing the first passage”, explains Xavier Pontais, head of the Public Space and Environment department at the town hall of Mérignac.
“In fact, the tree is on a defense mechanism. Due to the drought and the heat waves, the tree loses its leaves to save water in the trunk and branches.”
“It’s unfortunate, the seasons change very significantly”
With his 18 years in the green spaces of the city of Mérignac, Didier has gone through several heat waves but neither he nor his colleagues Joachim and Emmanuel had previously picked up so many dead leaves so early in the year. “It’s already been five sweeper trips since this morning, it doesn’t stop and it’s only the beginning!”
“This defense mechanism weakens the growth of trees”
“We have the leaves that fall like in the fall and are dry with the heat of summer”, summarizes the young Nora. His grandfather Patrick no longer recognizes the seasons. The retiree from Mérignac contemplates the fall spectacle with dismay. “It’s sad… It’s global warming, we’re all responsible. Some a little more than others.”
– Jules Brelaz