Can't See the Forest for the Trees? At Least Know Your Trees.

A friend recently commented on how she didn't know one species of tree from another. Of course she doesn't think that all trees look the same, but trees are just trees to her. A documentary I recently watched noted that by the time children are college-aged, they have logged over 1,000 hours of t.v. watching. As a result, they could identify 1,000s of corporate logos, but fewer than 10 plants and animals native to their locale.

It's hard for me to imagine having this gap in knowledge since I grew up with my Mom unknowingly teaching us kids the names of trees and flowers in our yard every time she told us to water, prune, or rake up after this or that plant. My favorite trees as a kid were the giant Japanese maples that my Grandpa had planted 50 years earlier. These must be the biggest around. As kids we would climb to the best resting points and hangout until the ants started crawling all over us. In our front yard, we hard birch trees lining our sidewalk that would drop messy white stuff on the cars parked along the street. One day I discovered I could peel the bark off of the birch and kept peeling to the point that I left a huge bald patch that soon was overran with ants. Along the side of our house was an orange tree that still has the best sour oranges. My brother claims they get their flavor from when he used to pee out of his bedroom window onto it as a kid. The holly tree in our backyard was my least favorite; the prickly leaves meant having to be careful when our feet were bare or when we went hunting for fallen plums. My parents removed this tree when I was older because they discovered that the berries were making our dog hallucinate and act crazy when he ate them.

Now that I'm older and have done lots of outdoor exploring, I have added to my list of trees that I can identify. My favorite trees have become quaking aspen. These trees have delicate circular leaves that are matte on one side and glossy on the other. All that is needed is a gentle breeze to cause these leaves to flutter and put on a dazzling show as they play with the light.

Oaks have climbed to new heights on my list of favorites. I've always loved their gnarled branches because they remind me of the oak's role in the fairy tales set in scary forests. After all, these are the trees of the Black Forest in Germany that inspired stories like Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel. My increased love for oaks developed after I learned that these spooky fairytale trees are also home to mistletoe. The romantic parasites can be found clumped high in oak tree branches. Now I look for oaks to steal a kiss under when I hike in the hilly parks of the East Bay.

Redwoods, giant sequoias, Monterey cypress, magnolias... there are so many amazing trees. Whether through their beauty, their grandeur, their delicious scents, or just their role in cleansing our environment, these magnificent beings are quietly adding to my enjoyment of the world around me.