Category: trees

basswood

What does the tree say? The OED notes of psithurism, “Obsolete. Forms: α. psithurisma. β. psithurism. This word belongs in Frequency Band 1.
Band 1 contains extremely rare words unlikely ever to appear in modern text. These may be obscure technical terms or terms restricted to occasional historical use, e.g. abaptiston, abaxile, grithbreach, gurhofite, zarnich, zeagonite.

a rustling or whispering sound, such as leaves in the wind; susurration: “Standing in the glade I heard a quiet psithurism, just straddling the line between music and noise.”

Castanea dentata

chestnut snag
This snag, or dead tree, has been standing since it was killed by the chestnut blight that moved through Pennsylvania by the early 1920’s.
Wildlife, such as turkey, bear, deer and squirrels depended on this tree for food. It was a very fast growing tree. The largest American chestnut tree ever recorded before felling was 54 feet in circumference (approximately 17 feet in diameter).

“You teach me, I forget. You show me, I remember. You involve me, I understand” ~E.O. “Ed” Wilson, 1929-2021

root plate

big tree blown horizontal
Blowing down a big tree, the force required to break the grip of a root plate is immense. A tall tree’s stem is a huge lever with branches that offer commodious sail area. Come a powerful wind, the tree is laid down. In time, we all fall down.