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On the subject of trees, oaks and poplars hold the top spot for my favorite.
Oaks are lovely, and the acorns they drop are both fun to collect and good for the local wildlife - the deer go ham on those things every fall. They're famous for their high tannin content, and it's easy to find puddles and small springs that have turned black over time in woods where they predominate - basically forest tea!
Full blown streams and rivers that dark are much more rare, but I've seen them. They reflect their shores like a mirror, which is extra-beautiful in fall.
I love the shape of the oak leaf, which has always vaguely reminded me of a hand, and has a thick, slightly coarse texture to its surface.
I like Poplars, on the other hand, less because of the effects they have on the world around them, and more because they're just plain pretty. They have smooth, silver bark and are one of the first trees to leaf out in spring. They're hard to spot, but they flower about that time, too, and if you've got the grip to clamber up one in the early part of the year, you can find a thick, yellow-green blossom a little larger than the palm of your hand hiding up in the branches.
Poplars are also a hardwood, just like oaks, but have fine, white wood with small pores, which makes them very desirable for chopsticks! I've heard that a lot of the chopsticks you get from Chinese restaurants, and even a lot of the chopstick in China are made from American poplar. Chinese poplar exists, but my understanding is that they're more rare than the American variant of the plant. I think due to deforestation? Something like that.
Oaks are lovely, and the acorns they drop are both fun to collect and good for the local wildlife - the deer go ham on those things every fall. They're famous for their high tannin content, and it's easy to find puddles and small springs that have turned black over time in woods where they predominate - basically forest tea!
Full blown streams and rivers that dark are much more rare, but I've seen them. They reflect their shores like a mirror, which is extra-beautiful in fall.
I love the shape of the oak leaf, which has always vaguely reminded me of a hand, and has a thick, slightly coarse texture to its surface.
I like Poplars, on the other hand, less because of the effects they have on the world around them, and more because they're just plain pretty. They have smooth, silver bark and are one of the first trees to leaf out in spring. They're hard to spot, but they flower about that time, too, and if you've got the grip to clamber up one in the early part of the year, you can find a thick, yellow-green blossom a little larger than the palm of your hand hiding up in the branches.
Poplars are also a hardwood, just like oaks, but have fine, white wood with small pores, which makes them very desirable for chopsticks! I've heard that a lot of the chopsticks you get from Chinese restaurants, and even a lot of the chopstick in China are made from American poplar. Chinese poplar exists, but my understanding is that they're more rare than the American variant of the plant. I think due to deforestation? Something like that.
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