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my backyard tree

I’ve been thinking a lot about trees lately. The summer is here and my part of the city is, fortunately, home to a very healthy population of oaks, birches and an incredible variety of pine trees. In addition to this, I have the honour of living and working below one of the giants of the neighbourhood. The photo above is the view looking straight up from our back deck and about a foot away from my desk where I type this post (and all my other little scribblings.)

What I really find amazing about our tree (and trees in general) is that not only is it a massive living organisim, it is also home to a whole host of different animals. Squirrels and birds run and hop along its branches and race down its thick trunk by day. At night, the bark is alive with ants, spiders and caterpillars all making epic treks from soil to leaves and back again. Add to this the family of raccoons who call the tree home (having been recently evicted from the garage in the backyard) and you have a mini-ecosystem that can be amazing to observe at any time of the day.

While I don’t live in the tree (but you know I would if I could!), I certainly benefit from its presense. While the rest of the city is sweating and gasping their way through the latest smog advisory or severe heat warning, I’m basking in the relatively cool air below our giant tree. Our tree sucks up all that smog, absorbs all that intense heat and creates pure sweet oxygen and cool air to for me to enjoy. Our backyard is consistently a few degrees cooler than front yard, which is great in the middle of an August heatwave.

treecov.jpgThis is my third summer under our old oak tree and since the first I’ve been keen to learn more about this tree and trees in general. So, when blogging pal Tony Walsh handed me Tree: A Life Story by David Suzuki and Wayne Grady, I knew I was in for a treat.

Tree: A Life Story, is exactly that – the story of a single tree over hundreds of years from seedling to nurse log. It’s a facinating look at an organism that offers so much to the plants and animals around it and yet is constantly under attack from bugs, birds, fungi, parasites and humans. The overall theme in the book, and with Suzuki’s work in general, is connectedness with nature. Tree demonstrates that all living organisms, including humans are connected with each other in often subtle and intricate ways.

Living in a large city surrounded by concrete and billboards, I often feel feel somehow removed from all that green stuff that lives beyond the concrete and ashphalt. Thankfully, for me to start the reconnection with nature, I just need to walk out my back door. In the evenings, I like to sit out on the back deck, under the giant oak and soak up the cool air and fresh oxygen and watch the squirrels run along the branches above and listen to the cardinals sing their nightly tune. It’s yet another gift from the trees.

So, go find a tree, give it a hug and say thanks!