Dustin listens with intense interest. The Queen's description matches what he's observed, at least externally, and the internal mechanics aren't nearly as alien as he'd anticipated either. If he hadn't seen the leaves turn to stone and drop off the branches with his own eyes, Dustin might be tempted to assume she was just talking about normal deciduous trees. Or maybe some combination of that and a seasonal tuber. Either way, he can see the inefficiencies with it.

Without the nutrients from an established forest of similar plants, they're operating at a loss, Dustin notes. They might not even drop the leaves if they have enough to work with. Huh.

A new idea forms. [There's two paths from what I can see,] he taps idly. Had the Queen asked for a solution to this problem? No - but Dustin can't resist offering his thoughts, while they're still buzzing around in his head. [We could remove the leaves before they have a chance to fall. We know the ones that brought them here could melt and shape stone with a naturally-produced chemical - I could synthesize an artificial version of the same. Alternatively, we might be able to encourage the trees to retain their leaves by enriching the soil with the nutrients they need to survive the winter.]