For years I have been convinced that the so called "Missing Carbon" in the global carbon pool was actually wrapped up in dog fur. The ephemeral nature of dog fur makes it exceptionally difficult to quantify the amount of carbon from this source; however, judging by the immense quantities of fur vacuumed up from various corners in our house and houses like ours, it seemed no doubt, a potentially significant contributor (disclaimer: I actually have no idea how much carbon a single strand of Canis lupus familiaris might contain). Fortunately, in our new abode, the fur tends to be masked by a carpet of a similar color, so my ability to ponder the finer points of dog fur and the carbon cycle has also been obscured.
But, looking out at our yard, I'm thinking tree leaves may be another under-represented carbon source. These leaves seem to be infiltrating our house every time the door opens ("entropy" MN says). Now, I know New England lays claim to the most beautiful fall colors, and having spent a significant part of my life in that region and forever maintaining a fondness for the little states, I'm not about to deny that. But, in sheer volume of leaves generated, I think my new adopted state may take the cake. Granted, there are a lot of oaks, which just don't hold a candle to the beautiful deep reds and bright oranges of maples, so while this fall was one of the most spectacular I've been in the middle of in the last decade, it was the quantity of changing trees in hues of yellow, gold, orange and brown (with the occasional bright red maple), that really captivated.
While many of my neighbors (including the National Park Service) have succumbed to the scourge of humanity known as a leaf blower, we went out and purchased a super-sized rake to deal with our problem. But, not being silly or inclined to do more work than is necessary, I'm not going to be the first on our block to rake up the earthy, decaying, golden-brown bits of carbon! That would be silly...because of entropy.
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