Leaf Record May Fall

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I had no idea that Leafs could grow to such a size.

When nine-year-old Joseph Donato wanted to submit the enormous maple leaf he found last week to the Guinness World Records, he discovered that one condition for setting a record was that it must be breakable. The Pickering native met the criteria and set the record. But within days of receiving his Guinness World Record plaque, he already has a challenger.

Rita Steel and her daughter Eve, 10, found the largest maple leaf they had ever seen shortly after Thanksgiving weekend while walking through downtown Vancouver.

"We held onto it and then last Thursday I saw on the news that the boy had set a new world record and I thought, 'But our leaf is bigger!' " Ms Steel said.

She contacted the Guinness World Records Saturday and is waiting to hear back from them about whether the leaf will be recognized as the new record-holder.

The leaf she and Eve found measures in at roughly 44 centimeters by 34 centimeters. Joseph's leaf, found while walking home from the park with his mother in Pickering, measures just more than 34 centimeters by 29 centimeters.

Joseph's mother, Angie Donato, says the possibility of her son's record-setting leaf being beat is "not a big deal."

"We don't feel threatened at all, because our leaf is a sugar maple." she said. "I don't think the leaf the little girl found is a sugar maple, so they aren't really in competition."

Records aside, Rachel Burnham of Sheridan Nurseries in Toronto says both leaves are significantly larger than an average maple leaf found at this time of year — and autumn is when they are at their biggest.

The reason is not a mystery: "It makes sense because this year we had a much longer growing season that normal."

The spring came earlier this year, giving trees about four-to six weeks longer to grow than in an average season.

Joseph's prized leaf has dried up slightly since he first discovered it, but his mother says he plans to have it framed and will likely put it up on the wall next to the plaque given to him by Guinness World Record representatives.

"He was so excited when he found it and when he saw our reaction and how excited we were, he got even more excited," she said. "The idea to call Guinness was his, and since setting the record he's been taking it all in stride."

Last Thursday, Joseph had the chance to observe Guinness World Records Day by bringing the leaf to school.

Ms. Steel hopes not only that the leaf she and her daughter found sets a new record, but that its size translates into monetary gain for the two of them.

She plans on preserving the leaf by encasing it in wax before selling it to the highest bidder.

"We suffered a great loss in September 2009, we really lost everything," Ms. Steel said, adding that she received a call yesterday but had not yet decided on a figure at which the bidding should start. "It's not going to be cheap."

For Eve, having found the large leaf is both the accomplishment and the reward.

"It's really big and it's really special, and I don't want to give it away, I want to keep it," she admitted. "But I have to give it away. I want to help my family."

National Post