I’m reading a book that tugs at my heartstrings.

What he writes about, the way he writes makes me think we are kindred spirits. He is Ethan Tapper. This is the first book I’ve read of his and the book is, How to Love a Forest.

The reason I’m thinking kindred spirits isn’t of how we write; he is a brilliant writer and brings out the poetry in simple things. It’s that we see things in the same way.

A returning theme in his book is the wolf tree, a sugar maple. And, because it reminded me so much of an article I first wrote five years ago, I thought I would re-enter this journal entry. Here is the article I wrote. If you are a tree lover you really need to read this book, How to Love a Forest, it’s a real treat.

                                                   The Mighty Maple is a giving tree

This is a plant deserving of reverence. Think of all it gives year-round.

In April the forest is clothed in blossoms, red and chartreuse, inviting insects of many kinds to sip from its flowers. Leaves unfurl after flowering, offering food for almost 300 species of caterpillar, a bird’s favorite food to feed their young. It’s no wonder the Mighty Maple becomes a banquet and a nesting site for numerous bird species.

In the summer it gives us shade, keeping our home cool enough we don’t need air conditioning. The leaves collect CO2 and sunlight and its roots collect nutrients from the soil, piping them up the trunk (tree highway) to the leaves. 30 % of the energy created in the leaves is sent back to the roots to feed the microbes that have helped to keep them alive. All of what we don’t see below ground is as important as what we do see above ground. This process, called photosynthesis, making all that is important to a plant’s life; fats, proteins and carbohydrates. This combination of above ground growth, the part we see during the seasons and below ground, which are equally important. Oh my, seems we share a lot of the same necessities as a plant.

In autumn the Mighty Maple brings great beauty with their changing leaves before they fall. Having spent the summer gathering energy from the sky and soil these falling leaves are happy to give back to the earth. Have you ever wondered where all the leaves go from year to year? Seems the forest should be choked with leaves. The soil below our feet is a very busy community, working year-round to compost leaves and make food for the coming year. 

In the winter maple wood is used to heat the home and in late winter, as our world slowly awakes the Maple awakes giving nature a sweet syrup that feed the early woodland denizens and maple syrup for our pancakes.

Maples give so many ecological services year-round asking for little in return. They are a big part of our forest; they are the Mighty Maple.  

,