Posted: April 22, 2023
At the house where I used to live north of Aztec, New Mexico, there stood a huge cottonwood tree at the edge of the irrigation ditch that ran through our rural property. I called it Grandfather Tree. It was scarred with a long-ago lightning strike. Some of its branches had died and fallen off. Others
Continue Reading “Visiting Grandfather Tree”
Category: Blog
Tags: bark, cardboard boxes, cottonwood, doves, eagles, Grandfather Tree, lightning, neighbor, window box
Posted: April 5, 2023
Some researchers in Israel have been studying plants and the sounds they make. Lilach Hadany, an evolutionary biologist and theoretician at Tel Aviv University is the senior author of the study. The researchers published their work in the journal, Cell. The study is called “Sounds Emitted by Plants Under Stress Are Airborne and Informative.” Though
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Category: Blog
Posted: March 23, 2023
From scientists to planners, many people agree that trees make cities more comfortable and survivable as global temperatures rise. But planting more trees is easier said than done. An interesting article in the January 20, 2023 The Guardian Weekly written by Jon Henley laid out challenges experienced in some European cities. Though many people agree
Continue Reading “The Pros and Cons of Trees in Cities”
Category: Blog
Tags: cooling, financial benefits, infrastructure, storing carbon, stormwater, The Guardian Weekly, trees in cities
Posted: March 10, 2023
I was picking up dog poop in my back yard yesterday. Sorry to mention such a thing, but I am glad it happens. It’s one way I keep tabs on my dog’s health. I noticed as I was walking up and down the lawn that there were more spruce tree cones than there was dog
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Posted: February 22, 2023
As my son and I drove through Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park in January, we saw along the side of the road many mounds of lava. Out of one mound grew a young, scraggly tree. Its roots had sunk deep into the black rock. It was determined to grow and thrive. I don’t know what kind
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Posted: February 8, 2023
If you ever get the opportunity to travel to the Big Island of Hawaii, one of the many amazing places to see is the Lava Tree State Park. Some internet sites call it the Lava Tree State Monument. It’s the same place. Almost anywhere on the island, you will see flows of lava that have
Category: Blog
Tags: Hawaii, incinerated, Kilauea, lava, Lava Tree State Park, Pahoa, rainforest, volcano
Posted: January 4, 2023
Around the world, adults with good intentions and a deep sense of purpose have planted trees. The trees are planted for different reasons. They protect soil from water erosion. Once they’re grown, they reduce global warming by sequestering carbon. They beautify an area, reduce wind damage, and protect wildlife. But many tree planting efforts sometimes
Continue Reading “Can Kids Be Better Tree Planters than Adults?”
Posted: December 21, 2022
If you live in a neighborhood where there are quite a few trees growing outside, you probably live in a community that is healthier than places without many trees. You can celebrate that fact this Christmas season by putting Christmas tree ornaments on a tree in your yard! A new study led by the United
Posted: December 10, 2022
In December, many people think about putting up a Christmas tree. It’s a great time for families to have fun learning more about trees. Though we don’t often think about it, trees could not survive without animals and other living creatures. Some of those creatures are so tiny we can’t see them. Explore with the
Continue Reading “Learn More about Trees at Christmas Time”
Category: Blog
Tags: Christmas memories, Christmas tree, cookies, foxes, hot chocolate, mice, rabbits, raccoons, seeds, soil, squirrels
Posted: November 16, 2022
Most people feel a little sad every now and then. Sometimes for just a few seconds, they may feel lonely or down in the dumps. Those feelings are often gone in a minute or two. Sometimes they last a little bit longer. When you start to feel sad or lonely, you could try something simple
