The simple answer is yes.
Trees can defoliate during the normal growing season for a number of reasons.
Pests, disease, drought and lack of nutrient are just a few of the reasons why a tree may lose its leaves mid-season.
I have two trees that are currently growing a second set of leaves.
The first is a Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) the second is Henry's Lime (Tilia henryana).
Both trees have shed their leaves through the summer due to drought related stress but with slightly different symptoms.
Horse Chestnuts are one of the earliest in the year to lose their leaves. It's not uncommon to see a Horse Chestnut with dead brown leaves as early as July, especially if there has been a prolonged period of dry weather.
What's fairly unusual though is for a Horse Chestnut to attempt a second flush of leaves so late in the summer when traditionally it really is the end of its season.
We are just a few days away from September as I write this and as you can see from the image above, the tree is opening up with fresh new leaves.
The lime tree is reacting slightly differently.
This tree has been in the ground for about 3 years now and it's really struggled to become established.
Last year it lost all of its leaves and I had to cut a lot of deadwood back. I really thought I'd lost it.
From the beginning of this year I have mulched the roots and kept the tree watered - temperatures have reached as high as 44C here this summer.
However the tree has not been watered for a month now.
The tree's predicament is exacerbated by the fact that it's position is in full sun and exposed to some strong winds, with no shelter.
The spring saw some respectable growth, the summer months have been ones of preservation. Whilst the lime didn't shed all of its leaves, it has started to put out some fresh leaves.
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