How has a tree or trees in your life made it better?

Plymouthgarden, Those pictures are AWESOME! I LOVE purple European beech trees! My fave!
--Joulz
http://treegrowersdiary.com/purple_european_beech_ec_journal.html

The link takes you to my PEB journal. Most of you guys have seen this story in one form or another. I've just about moved all my tree pages over to the new site, but all the pages have something new and different in there now. (Which explains why I haven't been around the forums much lately! But wow, I'm glad I didn't miss Plymouthgarden's pictures.)

I only have one purple leaved beech and it is a pendulous type. I( do like it but very slow growing. But I knew that when I planted it so it is fairly close to the house and I admire it as I pass by it often.

Plymouthgarden, your photos of the large beech trees are wonderful.

DonnaS

Guy and Sofer, thank you for those beautiful words. I must write them down for posterity.

I can only say Joulz the earth is sad. I'm sorry for your loss of such a spectacular tree. I worked around mine today and it is starting to look beautiful. I love the beech.

Joulz - OH NO! What a tragic story. What a loss for the community. What are people thinking? Our trees are a living member of our family! I'm so sorry for your loss - I understand your pain! Kara

When I was young (7or8) a friends mom took us all one summer and we drove all around Michigan to see trees in their mature forms. She taught us names and had us collect leaves and make a book with waxed leaves, seeds, and branches. There were 3 of us who called ourselves "The nature boys" ( I know ha ha) but today my life is filled with the joy of gardening and I especially love the many times I get to visit those Old ones. Many are gone but several remain. One of the nature boys became a collector of plants and quite a celebrity in Seattle with his garden book from "Herronswood Nursery" and all his rare plants he continues to collect in Korea, China, Tibet, Kamchutka, Japan, and many other places that his life carries him. What a summer teaching a few "rowdy" boys can do to make their quality of life soar. Thank you Vivian for you time with us.

Sofer, that's my secret dream for my two boys -- that they'll love nature and choose to be outdoors and IN nature, over being couch, or mouse potatoes.

Good news: my 5-year-old can ID a linden tree in June from down the block, red maples, sugar maples and of course, the dreaded purple leaf plum. He has been BEGGING me to find some linden seeds so he can plant a linden tree of his very own. That's awesome. When I was 5, I didn't even know how to spell "tree."

And my 11-year-old lobbied his school to plant strong-wooded trees in the playground because the kids were climbing -- gasp -- the Bradford pear trees that are planted all over the place. He wrote a letter to the principal and copied it to the superintendent, outlining his reasons, providing authoritative documentation for why it's a bad idea for kids to climb Bradford pear trees.

The school planted an oak tree! What a great kid! (By the way, I didn't even know about this whole thing until AFTER the new tree was planted! He did it all on his own.) Maybe by the time my 5-year-old gets to that school, the little oak will be big enough to climb.

Cheers,
Joulz

Soferdig what a wonderful gift, an appreciation for nature and I would think life in general! Good job Joulz! Impressive kid.

Ahh your genetics are blessed Joulz. Your son is an observer and a communicator to see the disadvantage in bradford and the blessing of OAKS. I started my facination with the woodland in mushroom hunts with my parents. They found the little critters but I just saw the ants, salamanders, skunk cabbage, fawns, fox......... The woodland today is where I spend many hours sitting and taking in the magic.
This is the sugar bush of my DW childhood.