The Nature of Things

Trees
To be a giant and keep quiet about it,
To stay in one's own place;
To stand for the constant presence of process
And always to seem the same;
To be steady as a rock and always trembling,
Having the hard appearance of death
With the soft, fluent nature of growth,
One's Being deceptively armored,
One's Becoming deceptively vulnerable,
To be so tough, and take the light so well,
Freely providing forbidden knowledge
Of so many things about heaven and earth
For which we should otherwise have no word-
Poems or people are rarely so lovely,
And even when they have great qualities
They tend to tell you rather then exemplify
What they believe themselves to be about,
While from the moving silence of trees,
Whether in storm or calm, in leaf and naked,
Night or day, we draw conclusions of our own,
Sustaining and unnoticed as our breath,
And perilous also-though there has never been
A critical tree-about the nature of things. 

Howard Nemerov

I've spent purposeful hours in a wide range of weather this winter, drawn by the blue of the sky and the hope of the sun's warmth. It is easy to sit back in cold short days trying to wait it out until spring seems closer. But if you do, you miss so much.

Twice now I have toured older Arboretums to admire the big trees. Twice now I have come away with sense of order; a humble awe; a big smile. 

Pinus glabra

On the UNC campus in Chapel Hill we toured the Coker Arboretum in the 75 degree weather of this winter's late December.

Quercus alba

    I have been here many times, and still find gems until then unseen. Most magnificent among those grand Coker specimens I found this time was the glorious Pinus glabra. Pinus glabra is a tree found on the coastal plains of the southern United States, from southern South Carolina south to northern Florida and west to southern Louisiana. Outside of it's current range, it clearly continues to perform very well over a long period of time. I have seen this tree in more southern settings, but none as large and grand as this one.

Wonderful oaks abound in both the Coker Arboretum and the UGA campus Arboretum and many other specimens, both rare and common. All invite reflection and admiration.

Eucalyptus

Quercus stellata

In addition to the grand scale of the great grandfather trees, there is also the lure of the small scale. Would I really say "tree hugging distance"? Probably not. But especially in winter, the details reveal themselves, and capture the attention that begs for a closer look. The texture, color, and shape of tree bark is an ornamental characteristic that is very often overlooked, yet can be definitive in determining identification of a species. On a recent walk in extreme cold weather with a group of plant enthusiasts, we spent a good amount of time on the identifying details of bark, habit, branch structure. Although winter ID can be difficult, by the time the walk was over, they were much more confident and attuned to the small details, and, I think, much more appreciative of the nuances that distracted us all from the cold conditions.

Big old trees/ blue sky

Quercus nigra

Quercus rubra

Ulmus americana

Calocedrus decurrens

Betula nigra

Sequoia sempervirens

With just a little effort, one can see each tree as a member of a group, but then also as an individual. Most tree species have a recognizable habit as they mature. But not every tree will look the same over time. Careful attention to these details can reveal very special plants that stand out. Making friends with individual trees is a journey into your own sensibilities, exposing wonder, and a continuity often interrupted by our busy lives.

Eucalyptus

Firmiana simplex

The older I get, the more that continuity seems important, and there is a lot to learn from the study of trees. As Nemerov says, "Poems or people are rarely so lovely...." and rarely such exemplar models of the nature of things.

THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF BIG TREES