| <div class="ck-content"><h3>Dancing Trees</h3><p>Can trees move under their own volition? Of course they can and do, as long as they are alive. First of all, there are <a href="https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20151207-ecuadors-mysterious-walking-trees">trees that “walk”</a>. But even ignoring such an outlier, it should be obvious after just a bit of thought (and observation throughout spring) that trees are always moving under their own volition (that is, independent of wind). They just don't move across the surface of the planet. They move up and out <i>from</i> the surface, <i>towards</i> the sun.</p><p>For many trees, this results in trunks that grow straight up (ie, roughly perpendicular to the surface), like loblolly pines (telephone pole trees), since that is the fastest way to grab a place in the canopy and maximize the rays of the sun (i.e., food via the miracle of chlorophyll and photosynthesis).</p><p>Yet for other trees, movement towards the sun can look more like an elegant and exuberant dance up through the understory.</p><p>The prime-est, most wonderful-est example I know of: <a href="https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/oxydendrum-arboreum/">Oxydendrum arboreum</a>, a.k.a., Sourwood, Lily of the Valley Tree, Sorrel Tree. I believe, however, that they be called Dancers.</p><p>It's called “Sourwood” because if you chew on the leaf, your face will get all scrunchy. Give it a try - but don't swallow!</p><p>Besides its taste, it's easy to identify sourwoods by:</p><p><strong>Bark:</strong> “<span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(33,37,41);">red-brown with deep vertical furrows that separate flat, pointed ridges." Here's an example of a mature sourwood trunk:</span></p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1zX5kcxablrUjNc10ZidOCE-dMCGMOBlD&sz=w400-h600"></div><p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(33,37,41);"><strong>Leaf: </strong>longish oval leaves which </span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(34,34,34);">turn shades of crimson-red to reddish-purple color in the fall. Oh, and did I mention sour?</span></p><p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(33,37,41);"><strong>Their dance: </strong>by which I mean the way they grow towards the sun. Of course, all trees do whatever they can to maximize access to sunlight. It seems to me, however, that sourwoods have evolved to give them an above-average ability to wind their way up and through the understory.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(33,37,41);">Bottom line: if you see a dark trunk that is growing at an angle, it is almost certainly a sourwood. And not just an angle: a curve this way, then that, pivoting and pirouetting. Finding a spot of sun and then quickly filling it with its long leaves. Here's one of my favorites:</span></p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1DHFmzenDtIZJGxA0joCoMijlvCFaiE-z&sz=w300-h450" alt="the elegant sourwood twisting through the understory"></div><p>And another:</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1fz7fbwmucYL6wLDYMykE6j-f9W7WjDjB&sz=w600-h400"></div><p>Apologizing in advance for the less-than-stellar quality of my photography, take a close look at the image below (for higher resolution click <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KaZvcFjZgyDvyatZnHy4HIk0li2kwh-0/view?usp=drive_link">here</a>).</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1KaZvcFjZgyDvyatZnHy4HIk0li2kwh-0&sz=w600-h400" alt="lots of sourwoods"></div><p>I count over a dozen sourwoods bending and twisting in this photo. </p><p>Given that sourwoods lean so much, it's not surprising to find that many of them get toppled by storms and falling trees. But I get the feeling that a survival strategy for sourwood is that its roots don't easily snap. As a result, it is very common to find sourwoods that have fallen and are almost horizontal, but continue to live and grow. Here's an example; you can see the uprooting at the bottom, but up at the top you can see a whole bunch of sourwood leaves (again, high res <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lBQ406CxLrseFA7AErXM0kl1s8Apr2Ay/view?usp=drive_link">here</a>).</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1lBQ406CxLrseFA7AErXM0kl1s8Apr2Ay&sz=w400-h600" alt="toppled sourwood"></div><p>I've been taking lots of pictures of sourwoods dancing through the understory. You can see them all <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14QPFaTx7izEddfhh4HE92JN4yP6T10ln">here</a>, but I offer this montage:</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1wEIuibJQ_iZ0RGyFkmhDKebg5NULask8&sz=w800-h540" alt="sourwood montage"></div><p>Of course, the main thing is for you to experience sourwoods yourself, directly and in the woods. I can recommend two trails that are <i>full</i> of sourwoods: <a href="https://triangleland.org/explore/nature-preserves/brumley-forest-nature-preserve">Brumley</a> South's Buckeye Loop and <a href="https://ncbg.unc.edu/visit/parker-preserve/">Parker Preserve</a>'s Mason Farm Trail. But I guarantee that once you internalize “maroon bark” and “curving trunk”, you will suddenly see sourwoods <i>everywhere.</i></p><h3>Heal the planet, heal yourself? </h3><p>I can't imagine how awful I would feel if I did not have tree rescuing to give me purpose and help keep me sane in the face of so much going so wrong these days. If even a few days go by and I am unable to remove invasives (or do something else to heal the planet), I start to get depressed.</p><p>I have also heard from others about how helpful this work is for their mental health.</p><p>And I continue to be amazed at how experts, leaders, motivators, influencers, etc. writing about the terrible changes we face never talk about the incredibly positive impact that taking direct and positive action for our planet can have. This <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/20/what-if-there-just-is-no-solution-how-we-are-all-in-denial-about-the-climate-crisis">recent article</a> from the Guardian is a good example.</p><p>I want to grab them by the shoulders, shake them, and shout: “We can take action to save life, save all we can, and we will all be healthier and happier for it!"</p><p>OK, anyway, the point of my raising this is that I'd like to start collecting “testimonials” of how this work has helped volunteers - you, in other words.</p><p>If you feel like this work has changed you in some way (hopefully positive), <strong>I'd love to hear about it. </strong></p><h3>The message is not getting through.</h3><p>“World’s biggest indoor snow and ice park opens in China," CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/09/travel/biggest-indoor-snow-and-ice-park-harbin-china-intl-hnk/index.html">tells us.</a> Oh and also:</p><blockquote><p style="margin-left:0px;">A Guinness World Records official awarded the Harbin Ice and Snow World Company the certification for the “world’s largest indoor ice and snow theme park” during this month’s opening ceremony. Ironically, the opening coincided with a heat wave in Harbin, with outdoor temperatures peaking at 29 degrees C (84 F), while the indoor theme park maintained a chilly -8 C to -12 C (17.6 F to 10.4 F) temperature.</p></blockquote><p style="margin-left:0px;">Just imagine all the power needed to keep that ice frozen. Oh and the ice? </p><blockquote><p style="margin-left:0px;">“<span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(12,12,12);">The ice used in the construction of the park’s attractions was sourced from the Songhua River, with a total ice volume of 20,000 cubic meters.”</span></p></blockquote><p style="margin-left:0px;"><span class="text-huge" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(13,18,20);">🤦♀️</span></p></div><div class="ck-content"><h4>Receive all my reports on tree rescues!</h4><p>If you'd like to get some good news about restoring native habitats delivered straight to your brain upwards of a few times a week, sign in to <a href="https://rewildearth.net">Rewild Earth</a>, click on your name in top right, then My profile. Under Communication Preferences, switch “Send reports of all events” to ON. </p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1BeynVqu8taOGrsvi56u0mmDKuNJko22h&sz=w600-h400" alt="REPLACE" width="358" height="138"></div><p>Resources you might find useful:</p><ul><li><a href="https://shop.naisma.org/collections/buckthorn-blaster">Buckthorn Blasters</a>: safe, easy herbicide delivery system from the North American Invasive Species Management Association. Don't start cutting without them!</li><li><a href="https://nc-ipc.weebly.com/nc-invasive-plants.html">NC Invasive Plants list</a>: recently updated by NC-IPC, the NC Invasives Plants Council.</li><li><a href="https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/AG259">Overview of different herbicides</a>: glyposphate, triclopyr and others - which should you use?</li><li>Volunteer for <a href="https://triangleland.org">Triangle Land Conservancy</a>: the biggest land conservancy group in our area. </li><li>Volunteer for <a href="https://ellerbecreek.org">Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association</a> (Durham): a wonderful group working hard to maintain contiguous natural areas along Ellerbe Creek.</li></ul></div> |