” i love places where there are crowds of trees.”
-nitin namdeo
—
scio woods county preserve, ann arbor, mi, usa
May1
Tag Archives: trees
Jan21
memoir.
the kinder wondered what happened to the big, old tree they used to play under
it was a good tree
we sat under it when it was hot in the sun and its shade kept us cool
we collected pretty leaves that floated down from it in the fall
it was on a hill and we ran by it in the winter when we were playing in the snow
pieces of it had been falling off for a very long time
we guess that maybe it was very old and very sick and it was getting too tired
the kinder began to put its little pieces back on to decorate it
we hope that in the spring
a new sapling will come up near where the old tree used to stand so tall.
—
“a tree’s wood is also its memoir.”
-hope jahren
Aug7
hidden life radio.
listen….
Silent tree activity, like photosynthesis and the absorption and evaporation of water, produces a small voltage in the leaves. In a bid to encourage people to think more carefully about their local tree canopy, sound designer and musician Skooby Laposky has found a way to convert that tree activity into music.
By connecting a solar-powered sensor to the leaves of three local trees in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Laposky was able to measure the micro voltage of all that invisible tree activity, assign a key and note range to the changes in that electric activity, and essentially turn the tree’s everyday biological processes into an ethereal piece of ambient music.
You can check out the tree music yourself by listening to the Hidden Life Radio—Laposky’s art project—which aims to increase awareness of trees in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the city’s disappearing canopy by creating a musical “voice” for the trees.
The project features the musical sounds of three Cambridge trees: a honey locust, a red oak, and an 80-year-old copper beech tree, all located outside the Cambridge Public Library. Each tree has a solar-powered biodata sonification kit installed on one of its branches that measures the tree’s hidden activities and translates it into music.
According to WBUR, between 2009 and 2014, Cambridge was losing about 16.4 acres of canopy annually, which is a huge loss considering that tree canopies are crucial to cities, cooling them down during the summer, reducing air pollutino, sucking up carbon, and providing mental health benefits.
Laposky hopes that people will tune into Hidden Life Radio and spend time listening to the trees whose music occurs in real-time and is affected by the weather. Some days they might be silent, especially when it hasn’t rained for several days and they’re dehydrated. The project will end in November, when the leaves will drop — a “natural cycle for the project to end,” Laposky says, “when there aren’t any leaves to connect to anymore.”
—
“in a cool solitude of trees
where leaves and birds a music spin,
mind that was weary is at ease,
new rhythms in the soul begin.”
-william kean seymour
—
source credits: Kristin Toussaint, The Optimist Daily, WBUR Radio
Jun18
serenade.
a warm welcome from mother nature
walking with
2 grands
through
1 park
1 forest
finding
3 sister lakes
mother nature
and
forest daddy
a family affair.
3rd sister lake
“In memory of “Daddy” Filbert Roth
Head of Forestry School (UM)
1902-1923
By his Forestry Boys
—
“nature is a serenade for souls willing to hear.”
-saba k.
—
Dolph Park, Saginaw Forest, 3 Sister Lakes – Ann Arbor, MI, USA
June 2021
May18
under the canopy.
after hiking to the secret climbing tree
mother nature designed
only for kids
we enter under the canopy of emerald leaves
to find the magic inside.
—
“wood is only one-syllable word, but behind it lies a world full of beauty and wonder.”
-theodor heuss
May7
tree dancer.
drove by
this lovely tree
dressed in all of it’s finest adornments
dancing to the wind.
—
“no matter how mighty and strong a tree is,
it will always dance to the tune of the wind.”
-okelola olamigoke
Jan4
secrets in the trees.
on a winter walk in the woods
came upon a labyrinth made of pine
fall to winter vegetables as offerings at its center
beautiful yule celebration on display
left for all to enjoy.
—
“the trees will tell their secrets to those that tune in.”
-steve magee
—
greenview nature preserve, ann arbor, mi, usa – january 2021
Dec7
log home.
wondering who in the woods calls this fallen log, ‘home’
—
“there is something in the trees awaiting discovery.”
– steven magee
Sep10
content.
happened upon
this friendly-looking tree
deep in the woods
so content and jolly
i think it would love to share its jokes.
—
“i never saw a discontented tree.
they grip the ground as though they liked it,
and though fast rooted, they travel about as far as we do.”
– john muir
—
bird hiils park, ann arbor, michigan, usa – summer 2020
Jul25
birch.
standing in my yard
a child
small among the birch trees
i would slowly peel away the bark
creating the most delicate pieces of beautiful paper
a gift from the tree
uncurled and waiting to be my papyrus.
—
“out of sight above the house, the mirror moon reflected the sun of a day not yet dawned,
shining the pale light of tomorrow on the yard and on the paper birches.”
-dean koontz
—
image credit: white birch fragrance oil
I didn't have my glasses on.... 