Here is another tree with a history tied to us. Catalpa is a gorgeous tree, but its native range is tiny. Due to a 19th century craze in planting this tree for railroad ties, it is now everywhere. It made lousy railroad ties, but it sure is nice to have in our landscapes. Read more at Our Trees.

Osage-orange, or hedge-apple, is a tree very familiar to those of us in the Bluegrass, where it was widely planted for natural fencing and hedges. Do you find this tree where you live?

Black locust is a very successful tree in our human-dominated world. It is spectacular in flower and produces exceptionally fine honey. Learn more about this amazing tree at Our Trees.

Do you know this spectacular little tree? It is fringetree, Chionanthus virginicus, and is one of the most beautiful flowering trees. It common in lowland forests of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains, but is abundant along the Rockcastle River in Kentucky. It is a wonderful native ornamental.

This is the view from the front porch of my home in Borneo. Now, back in Kentucky, I am thoroughly enjoying a week of rainy days, which should end our spring drought. Do you love rainy days?

People say they are allergic to showy flowers like the black locust on the left. They are looking at the wrong trees. Showy flowers are animal pollinated and their pollen is too large to cause allergies. It is nearby dull flowers like the oak on the right, wind-pollinated, that deserve the blame.

One of the highlights of life in Malaysia and Indonesia is the pasar malam, or night market. It is the vibrant social center of many communities, and is a major source of food, way better than the super market. Read about it at Our Trees (free).

It is Derby Weekend in Kentucky. See how horse agriculture benefits the preservation of open space, and especially of the rare woodland pasture ecosystem of the Bluegrass.

Tree sex is beautiful, complex, and intricate. Here is the first of our series on tree sex.

Red maple is one of the dominant trees of eastern forests and of urban areas everywhere. They are now coming into the season when winged seeds will fly everywhere. Have a look.

The rain has passed, the trees are growing furiously, and it's a perfect time to get out in your local park for play, like these two small guys who have recruited their dads for kite flying.

Yellow-poplar or tulip tree, Liriodendron tulipifera, is one of the most dramatic trees in our flora, especially in spring. Have a look at Our Trees.

We are all paying attention to spring trees, but flowers seem to get all the attention. Vegetative growth, as buds open and leaves enlarge, are doing complicated, interesting things, and they are certainly worth a close look.

One of our most spectacular trees, black locust, is beginning to flower. Learn more about this amazing tree.

The durian, often called the king of fruit, is very popular in Indonesia and Malaysia, where it is native. I love them, and ate many when I lived there. But there is some controversy over its smell.

This is my favorite spring flower, American sycamore, Platanus occidentalis. It is a bottomland tree in most places, but in the limestone karst of the Bluegrass, it is an abundant upland tree. What is your favorite spring flower?

This amazing white flower is found on the Franklinia tree. Franklinia is beautiful and extinct. It can no longer be found in our forests to which it was once native. Read about it here, and let us know in the story comments if you have seen this tree. Story is open to everyone.

Many people are plagued by allergies to spring tree pollen. But let’s be sure to blame the right trees. Here is a story about tree pollination, a very interesting subject. This post is available to everyone.

Every day, we consume tree products, often without knowing it. The tears of trees, gums and resins, are ubiquitous in our lives. The fragrance of frankincense is probably familiar to most of us. We encounter tears of trees every day, in food, drink, cosmetics, printed pages, and may not realize it.

Redbud trees are spectacular early-flowering trees in the Bluegrass and much of the Eastern Deciduous Forest. They beautiful, and also have some complex flowering behavior that I don't fully understand. Have a look at the story (open to everyone).

You probably know that humans contain enormous populations of bacteria, especially on our skin and in our guts. New research shows that trees also contain huge numbers of microbes in their wood. This discovery will change our understanding of trees, including the diverse smells that they produce.

Trees produce a vast array of volatile chemicals for their own purposes. Many of these chemicals provide pleasant scents to humans. More importantly, we now know that these scents can improve our cognition and even reverse serious neurogical disorders.

In the glory of spring flowers, it is often worth a closer look. Sometimes a flower is not what it seems. Have a look at Our Trees.

Yesterday, we showed you some spring tree pictures at Our Trees. Several of you were able to identify some of the trees. Here are all of them. How did you do?

This is a terrific opportunity for a sharp undergrad to work in a top-notch lab. I was able to take a year working as a lab tech before grad school, and it was a great decision. Highly recommended.

Let's celebrate Spring Trees. Today, we begin a week of spring tree stories at Our Trees. Have a look!

Trump is destroying the US Forest Service and firing its employees. This picture appeared in the NY Times today. It appears to show Trump teaching Rubio how to measure tree diameter so he can take over managemnt of our forests.

Everyone is going to want to read this. Available in November, but worth ordering soon.

It feels like it's still winter, doesn't it? To trees, it is not. Tree dormancy is not caused by weather but by internal chemical signals which protect trees from cold. Now, most trees are ready to grow as soon as it warms a bit. This photo shows the tremendous flow of sap. Read more at Our Trees.

I should be writing, but it's warm outside and the soil is wet. I'm going to go spread my seed.

Here is an Andrena bee gathering pollen from a bur oak. Pollinator insects are busy as flowering begins. Honeybees get all the attention, but we should know this: There are over 4000 species of native bees busy pollinating; and honeybees are not native to North America, but are imported livestock.

To celebrate The Year of the Horse on Lunar New Year, here is “Sai Ma,” Horse Racing, performed by Lang Lang, piano, Yun Zeng, viola, and Diayang Mai, horn. The latter two are 1st principals of the Berlin Philharmonic which has a long relationship with Asian countries, composers, and performers.

Today is the birthday of Charles Darwin, the discoverer of evolution by natural selection and perhaps the most influential scientist in history. Here is a brief reflection on his life, his contributions, and his amazing family.

It has struck me that the good people of this nation are showing us joy, humor, and art, while the ruling kakistocracy and its rich protectors are grim and miserable. We can help ourselves by being joyful and optimistic, and we will prevail.

Our Trees is now offering an opportunity for you to ask about trees now that Spring is arriving. Become a paid subscriber to Our Trees at our reduced rate, and join the conversation. It will be fun!

Don't you think it is more important to stay safe on the water before drowning?

A story about the amazing viola and two of its most notable performers. Some thoughts after watching Rebecca Albers perform a new work for viola and orchestra.

Technology is taking away our connections to each other and to the natural (i.e. real) world. @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social offers an insightful look into what is wrong and how to fix it. I hope everyone reads this.

I just got a delivery that has taken more than two weeks to arrive. I suppose the weather is to blame. The order was for what in my family is known as Vitamin M and for which there is no substitute. The package arrived just in time to prevent serious consequences. Now for some vegan pancakes.

Here is an ancient bur oak next to a young loblolly pine, on left in midwinter, and on right in summer. Today is a deeply cold winter day but the oak and pine are no longer dormant. A cold period has eliminated the inhibitors that prevent growth. The trees are ready to grow when it is warm enough.

Many of us are about to be visited by complex weather, possibly including ice storm. Ice can do major damage to trees, even kill them, but an ice-covered tree is hazardous to you. These trees should not be touched. Here are some simple suggestions for managing ice-covered trees.

This free book is an excellent introduction to climate science for everyone.

If you are an undergrad studying science, here is a great opportunity to spend the summer at Johns Hopkins doing molecular and cellular research in neuroscience. This could be the launch of your career, so check it out.

I begin my days with 4 cups of very good coffee. There is no doubt any more that coffee is a health drink. The challenge is to find ethically produced coffee. There are coffee roasters who buy directly from the producers, who are assured of a fair price. I like Little Waves, but there are others.

While we wait for the trees to start their spring burst of growth, it is worth looking at winter details. The intricacy of the bark of this Kentucky coffeetree, Gymnocladus dioicus, is worthy of study, as is the bark of most trees. The coffeetree twig, stout with tiny buds, is very unusual.

A stand of young chinkapin oak, Quercus muehlenbergii, basking in the winter sun. These trees are no longer dormant and are prepared to burst into growth on warm days.

In winter, when deciduous trees are bare, we can really appreciate the form of a tree. Here is a chinkapin oak, Quercus muehlenbergii, on a ridgetop in Nashville. It is now surrounded by young forest, but you can tell by its branch pattern that it grew in an open woodland pasture.

Like many of you, I like to give my favorite trees names. This is Eileen. This oak is stable, but in karst topography, the underlying rock is not. As the rock shifts and sinkholes open, an old tree has to adjust it roots. You can see by the changing branch angles that this is a slow change.

I'm not pining for Spring. Yet. I do want to hang out with my bison friends soon. American bison, Bos bison bison, were abundant in the Bluegrass in ancient times. They, helped by drought, created the woodland pasture habitat that makes the Bluegrass landscape distinct.

This is a great opportunity for a forest ecology PhD.