On Saturday, Dec. 21st, 2013 at approximately 1:45 p.m. an ice storm hit Northern New York, directly impacting St. Lawrence County. Almost two inches of ice had accumulated the next day, only getting worse as more snow came and temperatures began to drop. The winds and large amount of ice knocked down power lines, leaving citizens powerless for the following two weeks and some longer. Many trees, such as this maple, were left naked because the ice weighed down the leaves and caused limbs to break. However, this particular maple tree was left with these two brown-colored leaves. This implies that these leaves were there since the fall time, and were present up until the ice storm hit. These leaves do not always fall in the winter but they do curl up, and the tree might force them to fall if it is completely healthy. Some maples retain their dead leaves to slow down the wind and protect their buds from insects. Other maples retain their dead leaves only on branches that have a verticillium-related disease. There’s a possibility that this maple did not shed these two leaves, despite the harsh winds and ice, because they’re both located on a diseased branch, which is holding on to the leaves until it recovers.