I'm a "Tree Hugger"

My nom de plume for several decades has been Cercis or redbud which I appropriated from the North American redbud tree (Cercis Canadensis). I love it when friends begin notes, emails and letters with Dear Redbud! For many reasons, I became keen on these trees during family trips throughout southern OH. They dot the woods and hillsides of southern OH with pale purple blossoms in early spring.

One of my earliest memories of growing up in Cleveland, OH, between the ages of two to four, is of my father and me along Euclid Creek on an overgrown path leading toward Lake Erie. I talk; he listens. I ask questions; he answers. There are enormous willow trees growing along the creek banks and they fascinate me. We actually return to this place many times, always heading for the willows.

Now, the location of a modern and well-used Cleveland Metroparks marina, the willows are long-gone from the creek banks. However, for me, they are close as my memory.

Neighborhood trees continued to communicate with me as long as I lived in Cleveland. I watched as slowly but surely as the Norway maples (Acer platanoides), planted by Cleveland as street trees, pushed up roots into the tree lawns between the sidewalks and street sometimes leaving large distensions and sometimes gaping holes in both street and sidewalk. I learned about invasive species, although I did not know to call it that, by observation.

A row of Ohio buckeyes (Aesculus glabra) along a cross street several blocks from home kept me supplied with buckeyes which were skewered and strung into necklaces. I learned by waiting for ripe buckeyes about flowering and fruiting schedules. I repeatedly tried to transplant redbuds (Cercis Canadensis) from trips south of Cleveland into our tiny backyard. They never got very big and I learned about natural habitat and growing conditions.

It was at Miami of Ohio, as I gazed through my dorm window one afternoon, that I had an epiphany moment. I heard people chanting what sounded to me like Latin. There was a ring of students standing around the tree outside my room in the old Anderson dorm. In addition, yes, they were chanting the scientific name of the tree in unison in Latin! It was not difficult to find out that a botany course freed those chanting students for walking around campus, while I was suffering with chemistry in my room.

The rest, as the saying goes, is history. I changed my major from chemistry to botany, started to learn about trees and other plants, and never looked back. Trees were now my dear friends. The University currently boasts self-guided walking tree tours that comprise three distinct campus areas and identify 150 plus native and ornamental trees. And if desired you can keep up with me and my trees on my Treehugger blog.

I went on to live, study, teach, write and photograph, and garden in western Massachusetts for over fifty years. I continue to look out for trees wherever I might travel. I find old friends that take me back to my Ohio and Massachusetts days and make new acquaintances. I learn as much about them as possible, but really do not feel comfortable until they become new friends. In addition, I fight with words for the old ones like those in Stadium Woods, on the campus of Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA.

I want to share my enthusiasm, appreciation and knowledge with readers. For like the Lorax, I want to speak for the trees.

See tropical as well as temperate climate trees. Climb into the amazing tree walk where visitors explore treetops.

Here's some tree physiology explained simply.

A peek at some of the most magnificent trees in the world!

Walk through a California redwood forest in February.

• Please tell me what you think about this introductory Hubpage.
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• Would you like to see more photos of trees?
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• What interests you the most about trees?