falling leaves

What is the variable that determines which leaves remain on a tree after a blustery autumn windstorm?

I went for a walk on a windy day, and there were colors swirling down all around me. Then I looked up into the branches of the trees, and noticed plenty of leaves flying like flags, stems still firmly bound to their tiny wooden flagpoles.

Why did they stay attached after the others had let go or were torn away? I would have thought that a ferocious wind would just strip the trees bare, but it doesn't. Some tenacious leaves always remain.

So who's in control here? It's clearly not the wind. Who or what decides when each leaf will fall? Is it up to the individual? Does each leaf have its own karma, destiny, or fate? Is it random? Does Mother Nature roll the dice to determine who stays and who goes?

Or perhaps it is more like a kindergartener's tooth falling out, or a woman going into labor and giving birth -- guided by a mysterious inner timing that is beyond our understanding or influence.

Somehow I find it comforting that I can't figure this out. I like that there are forces and rhythms at play around me that defy comprehension. It cracks me up that even a gale force wind cannot bully a tiny leaf into falling one second before its time has come.

I bet the leaves don't waste a moment of their lives feeling concerned about when they will fall. No predictions, no worry, no prevention. They just soak up the sun and the rain until the moment they drop.

Hmm.