You probably know "The Hidden Life of Trees" by Peter Wohlleben, but if not, check it out (it's a book about work that influenced Power's THE OVERSTORY. Also, now, I think I'm going to finally pull PILGRIM AT TINKER CREEK off the shelf to read. Thank you from a fellow tree lover!
I did read that. I heard somewhere that the researcher I quote was not getting enough credit for her research and that popular writers were kind of hijacking her ideas. That's why I include her and not The Hidden Life of Trees. But I'm not sure now and would have to look into it again.
Good for you on Tinker Creek! It's been many years for me. I recently re-read The Outermost House by Henry Beston and really enjoyed the writing. I just saw something newer by Dillard at Barnes and Noble yesterday, a collection of essays.
Cool, all the more reason to re-read! There is so much good literature out there, and it can be difficult to re-read slower stuff like Tinker Creak. I never read too many nature writers when I was younger, but I have a handful on my shelf: Dillard, Barry Lopez, Peter Matthieson, Rachel Carson, Thoreau of course, Sand County Almanac, a local whom I quoted Robert Finch. Not saying I read them all! But I think I do have more patience for beautiful writing that doesn't arc along a plot than I used to.
Yes - the Wohlleben is an astonishing book. Susanne Simard has I believe influenced many people, including Powers (I think one of his characters is her, in effect).
And I too often dip into 'Pilgrim' (as I do Outermost House) – what a book. And she was so young when she wrote it. I feel it was stronger than her later writing, personally.
I love this Don. Trees hold such a special place in my heart and you've captured the essence of how I feel about them. I love how you weaved in photos and other authors writings about trees. Well done. You're a great writer.
Thank you for reminding me about the wisdom of trees. Once many years ago my eldest daughter was having emotional difficulties after leaving university and wouldn’t look for work. I was in the woods pondering her situation and looking at a beautiful old tree. I hugged it and sat by its base. It told me that there is a resting season, when the sap is slowly gaining strength. I took this approach with her, and it helped so much.
😊”I sensed the tree looking at me. I felt bad for ignoring the tree.” So much relate to this…thank you for this post and all the wonderful book recommendations! I’m most drawn to the one by the woman who researched forests- putting that on my list of what to read next!
I won Most Likely to Hug a Tree superlative in my senior year of High School. I think it was just because I was weird but some things never change; 15 years later I still hug trees and greet the ones in my neighborhood like old friends.
Lovely post here Don. I feel trees as if they were living souls. That interconnectedness to each other and oneself. I live in Dublin, near the beautiful Phoenix Park, where I'm magnetised to walk most days I can. Even for 15 minutes.
The trees sometimes are like they are dancing or talking, arms outstretched to each other or the Heavens. I've even listened to one or two.
Just this morning on a weekend away I've taken a flood of tree photos, for the pure joy of witnessing the shapes and shadows of new trees I've not seen before.
Mary Oliver is also an influence for me. How she felt nature. How she drew her inspiration to write.
Thanks for sharing your post. I connected with it.
Thank you so much for reading, Siodhna (I went to your "about" page to learn your name). And thank you for subscribing!
I deeply love trees. There is a wood here in Massachusetts that I walk in often and I spend a lot of time letting the trees soak into me and tell me the truth about life; that it is about more than standing tall and proud (if you really look, only a small percentage of the trees are thick, tall, and healthy). It is also about leaning and losing, showing your vulnerability, falling, dying, rejoining the earth—all with grace and acceptance. No part higher or better than any other part.
Your poetry is really evocative, making me want to read more, spend more time in your words. I just read "Borderless," in which you bring in the word "kaleidoscope," a word I just yesterday decided to explore further in thinking about the constant flow of change, and the ungraspability of life. :-)
‘Overstory” gave me an entire new love of trees and a sense of amazement for forrest. Another tree lover and Mary Oliver. A member of the same tribe we are.
Thanks for your comment, Jean. Yes, Overstay was quite the book! And Mary Oliver... still getting to know her. She lived on Cape Cod like me. I've loved everything I've read so far!
Yes! I know and love all those books – especially the magnum opus that is Powers' book – except the Hill and the Finch (good title for something!). I need to add quite egotistically 'me' – my most recent book was 'A Spell in the Forest - tongues in trees', largely about the Celtic Tree Calendar, but including 'new' tree science and also poetry.
As for Gautama, I utterly believe that meditating under a tree brings in extra dimensions of being – assuming that one is ready.
You might like to know that a friend of mine has just published a book on tree climbing! The Tree Climbing Cure is by Andy Brown, Bloomsbury (there's also a brief interview with me in it on my youthful tree climbing days).
Well! You sound like a hard worker, and passionately devoted! And how apropos that you found your way to my "Thoughts on Trees." Trees feature largely in my writing, and will continue to do so.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I hope we keep in touch!
Excellent list Don. If you haven’t read it, I recommend “The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World” by Peter Wohlleben. Wohlleben is a forest manager in a forest preserve in Germany. His thoughts on trees are similar to those of Suzanne Simard’s.
This was awesome Don. I always think of trees as silent witnesses to our lives, unable to speak, but waving their concern and encouragement nonetheless.
Thank you, Trish. I think Jennifer gets a similar feeling; she was just commenting about how their stability and steadfastness has always made her feel secure, and given her something to look to for strength.
Being the "friend who moved to Hawaii" I can share that the Lahaina banyon tree has been a symbol of that tragedy. In the early days after the fire it was not clear whether the tree would survive, and it was as if all of the communal loss that had been suffered symbolized by this iconic, majestic tree. In time, there were signs of life, and hope, and it seems that the tree will be on a slow road to recovery, just like the town of Lahaina itself.
I grew up in the northeast, among the white pine forests of New Hampshire, and later among the pitch pine and scrub oak infested stretches of Cape Cod. I've also spent a fair amount of my life living in the tropics, the Caribbean and now Hawaii. Plant life lives at a different pace here, the sun and rain of east Hawaii create a teeming competition of growth. The albizia, an acacia tree of grand size, is considered a weed. They grow very fast and tall and despite their appearance are very weak, and are a threat in storms. We took down a large tree in our yard this past spring. Now, multiple sprouts from the stump reach twelve feet in the air.
We do have a grand old mango in our yard, with a trunk nearly three feet in diameter at the base, and wildly gyrating branches reaching up into the leaf cover, with moss and vines everywhere. It's probably the oldest tree here.
As always, thank you for putting a mindful spotlight on our shared lives. I'll be sure and say hello to the mango for you, until you can do so yourself.
This is wonderful, you are doing honor to trees with your reverent words about them. What I'd hoped for! And you are the second commenter to mention the mango! BTW, I added some fresh mango to my peanut butter and jelly sandwich this morning and it was quite good!
We have about 10 mango trees on our lot and they have been VERY stingy with their fruit - maybe four small mangoes so far. But it's always fresh at the farmers market.
This is lovely! A beautiful ode to trees.
This section from the first of Adrienne Rich's 21 Love Poems has always stayed with me:
"No one has imagined us. We want to live like trees,
sycamores blazing through the sulfuric air,
dappled with scars, still exuberantly budding,
our animal passion rooted in the city."
And this one from Warsan Shire:
"i think of lovers as trees, growing to and
from one another searching for the same light."
Thank you, Anagha. I will look into Adrienne Rich’s work. I have not read her before but I’m intrigued.
Shared🫶✨️❤️ just absolutely loved everything about this Don, so beautiful and went straight to the center of my heart.
Wow, that’s such a wonderful compliment, thank you, Niki! 💚
You probably know "The Hidden Life of Trees" by Peter Wohlleben, but if not, check it out (it's a book about work that influenced Power's THE OVERSTORY. Also, now, I think I'm going to finally pull PILGRIM AT TINKER CREEK off the shelf to read. Thank you from a fellow tree lover!
I did read that. I heard somewhere that the researcher I quote was not getting enough credit for her research and that popular writers were kind of hijacking her ideas. That's why I include her and not The Hidden Life of Trees. But I'm not sure now and would have to look into it again.
Good for you on Tinker Creek! It's been many years for me. I recently re-read The Outermost House by Henry Beston and really enjoyed the writing. I just saw something newer by Dillard at Barnes and Noble yesterday, a collection of essays.
I recently interviewed a local-to-me author named Alison Townsend about her book and she credited Dillard’s Tinker Creek quite a bit!
Cool, all the more reason to re-read! There is so much good literature out there, and it can be difficult to re-read slower stuff like Tinker Creak. I never read too many nature writers when I was younger, but I have a handful on my shelf: Dillard, Barry Lopez, Peter Matthieson, Rachel Carson, Thoreau of course, Sand County Almanac, a local whom I quoted Robert Finch. Not saying I read them all! But I think I do have more patience for beautiful writing that doesn't arc along a plot than I used to.
Yes - the Wohlleben is an astonishing book. Susanne Simard has I believe influenced many people, including Powers (I think one of his characters is her, in effect).
And I too often dip into 'Pilgrim' (as I do Outermost House) – what a book. And she was so young when she wrote it. I feel it was stronger than her later writing, personally.
I love this Don. Trees hold such a special place in my heart and you've captured the essence of how I feel about them. I love how you weaved in photos and other authors writings about trees. Well done. You're a great writer.
Aw, thank you so much!!
Thank you for reminding me about the wisdom of trees. Once many years ago my eldest daughter was having emotional difficulties after leaving university and wouldn’t look for work. I was in the woods pondering her situation and looking at a beautiful old tree. I hugged it and sat by its base. It told me that there is a resting season, when the sap is slowly gaining strength. I took this approach with her, and it helped so much.
Thank you, Jill, and thank you for sharing that lovely experience with me. I hope your daughter is finding her way. 🙏💚🌲
😊”I sensed the tree looking at me. I felt bad for ignoring the tree.” So much relate to this…thank you for this post and all the wonderful book recommendations! I’m most drawn to the one by the woman who researched forests- putting that on my list of what to read next!
Thank you so much for checking out this essay, Tara. I’m glad you liked it!
I won Most Likely to Hug a Tree superlative in my senior year of High School. I think it was just because I was weird but some things never change; 15 years later I still hug trees and greet the ones in my neighborhood like old friends.
Tree huggers are my kind of people. Thanks, Jesse!
Let’s all plant and nurture some trees for future generations. Enjoyed all your thoughts .
Thank you, Ruth! 💚🌲
Lovely post here Don. I feel trees as if they were living souls. That interconnectedness to each other and oneself. I live in Dublin, near the beautiful Phoenix Park, where I'm magnetised to walk most days I can. Even for 15 minutes.
The trees sometimes are like they are dancing or talking, arms outstretched to each other or the Heavens. I've even listened to one or two.
Just this morning on a weekend away I've taken a flood of tree photos, for the pure joy of witnessing the shapes and shadows of new trees I've not seen before.
Mary Oliver is also an influence for me. How she felt nature. How she drew her inspiration to write.
Thanks for sharing your post. I connected with it.
Thank you so much for reading, Siodhna (I went to your "about" page to learn your name). And thank you for subscribing!
I deeply love trees. There is a wood here in Massachusetts that I walk in often and I spend a lot of time letting the trees soak into me and tell me the truth about life; that it is about more than standing tall and proud (if you really look, only a small percentage of the trees are thick, tall, and healthy). It is also about leaning and losing, showing your vulnerability, falling, dying, rejoining the earth—all with grace and acceptance. No part higher or better than any other part.
Your poetry is really evocative, making me want to read more, spend more time in your words. I just read "Borderless," in which you bring in the word "kaleidoscope," a word I just yesterday decided to explore further in thinking about the constant flow of change, and the ungraspability of life. :-)
I read Powers’ The Overstory and when it was first published and I remember being completely engrossed in the story from the very first page.
It was engrossing to be sure. I still remember many of the characters and scenes quite clearly.
You’re right. I do enjoy it. Thanks for the invite.
‘Overstory” gave me an entire new love of trees and a sense of amazement for forrest. Another tree lover and Mary Oliver. A member of the same tribe we are.
Thanks for your comment, Jean. Yes, Overstay was quite the book! And Mary Oliver... still getting to know her. She lived on Cape Cod like me. I've loved everything I've read so far!
Yes! I know and love all those books – especially the magnum opus that is Powers' book – except the Hill and the Finch (good title for something!). I need to add quite egotistically 'me' – my most recent book was 'A Spell in the Forest - tongues in trees', largely about the Celtic Tree Calendar, but including 'new' tree science and also poetry.
As for Gautama, I utterly believe that meditating under a tree brings in extra dimensions of being – assuming that one is ready.
You might like to know that a friend of mine has just published a book on tree climbing! The Tree Climbing Cure is by Andy Brown, Bloomsbury (there's also a brief interview with me in it on my youthful tree climbing days).
Well! You sound like a hard worker, and passionately devoted! And how apropos that you found your way to my "Thoughts on Trees." Trees feature largely in my writing, and will continue to do so.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I hope we keep in touch!
Excellent list Don. If you haven’t read it, I recommend “The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World” by Peter Wohlleben. Wohlleben is a forest manager in a forest preserve in Germany. His thoughts on trees are similar to those of Suzanne Simard’s.
This was awesome Don. I always think of trees as silent witnesses to our lives, unable to speak, but waving their concern and encouragement nonetheless.
Thank you, Trish. I think Jennifer gets a similar feeling; she was just commenting about how their stability and steadfastness has always made her feel secure, and given her something to look to for strength.
Being the "friend who moved to Hawaii" I can share that the Lahaina banyon tree has been a symbol of that tragedy. In the early days after the fire it was not clear whether the tree would survive, and it was as if all of the communal loss that had been suffered symbolized by this iconic, majestic tree. In time, there were signs of life, and hope, and it seems that the tree will be on a slow road to recovery, just like the town of Lahaina itself.
I grew up in the northeast, among the white pine forests of New Hampshire, and later among the pitch pine and scrub oak infested stretches of Cape Cod. I've also spent a fair amount of my life living in the tropics, the Caribbean and now Hawaii. Plant life lives at a different pace here, the sun and rain of east Hawaii create a teeming competition of growth. The albizia, an acacia tree of grand size, is considered a weed. They grow very fast and tall and despite their appearance are very weak, and are a threat in storms. We took down a large tree in our yard this past spring. Now, multiple sprouts from the stump reach twelve feet in the air.
We do have a grand old mango in our yard, with a trunk nearly three feet in diameter at the base, and wildly gyrating branches reaching up into the leaf cover, with moss and vines everywhere. It's probably the oldest tree here.
As always, thank you for putting a mindful spotlight on our shared lives. I'll be sure and say hello to the mango for you, until you can do so yourself.
This is wonderful, you are doing honor to trees with your reverent words about them. What I'd hoped for! And you are the second commenter to mention the mango! BTW, I added some fresh mango to my peanut butter and jelly sandwich this morning and it was quite good!
We have about 10 mango trees on our lot and they have been VERY stingy with their fruit - maybe four small mangoes so far. But it's always fresh at the farmers market.
Sounds like my peach tree. But she's young, I'll give her some time...