our argument...
the hornbeam's
knotted trunk

update:
apologies for the typo in the haiga... L2 should read: a white cloud drifts

skupina dreves

bel oblak zajadra

naravnost med njih

visoka drevesa
mlada bukev edina
še oblečena v listje


*update: apologies to my readers; the leaves in the photo belong to a beech tree, of course, not a birch. but i hope that doesn't spoil the feeling of the haiga :-)
young trees are known to preserve their foliage over winter. it appears to give enough protection to the young buds without putting the tree in danger of breaking as the boughs are still thin and flexible enough to not break under snow.