Simple Tree Class

 Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.

~ Kahlil Gibran, Sand and Foam

Mesquite catkin.*

DH and I once walked a mile or so early each morning. We have gotten lazier since retirement. We walk Z-girl, but don't always do the mile or so that is the walk to the park along the river.

Today, sans pets, we decided to exercise the hike-sore muscles and wander. We used it as a "short" bird and tree class.

We saw mockingbirds, heard and saw cardinals, wondered where the doves were, saw one generic sparrow, and spied a field of grackles. A vulture flew over. Morning birds called all around us, but we are poor "call identifiers."

We started talking about trees and I taught DH to identify the trees I know (and how I identify them) - live oak that keeps its leaves, dropping them at a different time than the other oaks; pecan, the harbinger of true spring as it will not leaf-out until danger of freeze is past; cedar elm whose small leaves are rough as a cat's tongue; mesquite with devil thorns, lovely catkins, and almost frond-like leaves; and the China berry, our demon invasive.**

There are more trees out there, but we focused on these few, pointing out specimen after specimen all along the walk.

I take for granted my 60+ years here - gardening with Mom and Dad and wandering the woods throughout the state. DH is catching up.

Our park woods with a little opening. Don't you want to investigate?

NOTES:

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catkin

**We have spend a few hours working to eradicate a China Berry grove at one of our favorite parks.