Q: I have a three year old sycamore tree. No leaves have appeared yet; should I be concerned? I ask this because all of the other trees in my subdivision seem to have leaves on them already.

A: Like the Monty Python parrot, your tree is not resting, it has KICKED THE BUCKET, it has SHUFFLED OFF HIS MORTAL COIL, it has JOINED THE CHOIR INVISIBLE….in fact, it is DECEASED!

That said, it’s hard to say why it died. It could have been planted to deeply originally or perhaps it got dried out during the summer afterplanting. The peeling bark last year was a sign of impending doom.

You’ll have to replace it. May I suggest a nice red maple?