Really cool image. It is a little dark and shows the opposite of what the assignment asked (F22 or higher to show a broad depth of field) but your use of a narrow depth of field and composition makes this a really engaging photograph.
Willa, my eye wants to see the edge of the leaves on left side of the photo so I would prefer the trunk to be placed further to the right so it might be balanced by more open blue sky and I can see the full extent of the yellow canopy.
I really like this image. I think it could be improved by shifting the composition up a bit. The white blurry fluff caps at the bottom of the image are distracting. Also, my eye wants a little more perspective of what lies in the background. That is a better balance to the image than the current bottom foreground.
