Trees every day

It's two seasons and many months before the next Maine Trees, Top to Bottom class but that doesn't keep me from preparing. Collecting and pressing leaves occupies me from spring to fall. The goal is to include all the trees of Maine's forest in the teaching collection. Though not yet half full, the binders are getting thicker with each new laminated leaf specimen. Cones, samaras, acorns, and other 3-dimensional (non-pressable) items get dried out and stored in small divided containers. Bark and sections of tree trunks go into a larger plastic tub.

















Studying Maine trees isn't my only pastime, but it is one that helps slow down a sometimes crazy schedule. It gets me outdoors when I might otherwise get distracted with housework or errands. It satisfies my desire to find creative ways to share how important trees are to natural communities. At home, we find it's a messy hobby with the twigs, leaves and needles, and Tupperware filled with acorns all around the house. But it's joyous to see pine cones atop the open beams in our living room, to duck under dried chestnut leaves beside the desk, and to see wood carvings that my dad has given me. Trees and tree things inside and out - every day.