Speaking of trees, I’m learning to skeletonize leaves. My office will be moving next year into a new building, and I thought little framed leaves from the big oak tree outside our current front door would be nice ‘memento gifts’ at Christmas.
They say to take the leaves at the height of the summer, but I picked mine just two weeks ago, and they’re still not degenerating as I want (but I used the just-water to start, may have to go ahead and use chemicals):
http://www.theidearoom.net/2010/10/how-to-make-leaf-skeletons.html
Maybe you could make frameable silhouettes out of the leaves.
Place different sizes on heavy matting——then spray-paint lightly all around them.
Remove leaves-—when paint dries you’ll have a frameable silhouette.