This cottonwood leaf has a long history. The heart shape and size show it to be from a mature cottonwood tree at least 50 years old growing along the Chippewa River in Northern Wisconsin where cottonwoods have grown for at least 500 years. This cottonwood leaf assisted in protecting a stand of ancient and young cottonwoods along that river, they still stand there today. This leaf also traveled to Walmart’s open call for vendors getting accepted and approved. This leaf also became a key chain given to volunteers who planted trees in a vacant lot, it was a necklace pendant for awardees at a women’s leadership conference and it became a holiday ornament for fund raising for an educational not for profit
This leaf also became letterhead for another not for profit and a signature line for their outgoing emails. This leaf assisted in branding a community’s efforts to exercise more for heart health. Yes, this little leaf in the shape of a heart has a long history and a bright future because everyone who has encountered it, requisitioned it, purchased rights to use it and other transactions have all agreed to pay it forward and allow others to use the image for more purposes. I took this photo one spring day while walking. I originally thought the ragged parking space line and the little green leaf would also come to be important markers like this heart shaped leaf, but they are simply innocent bystanders to the power of symbol, color, shape and experience.