Talking Trees

A Blog by John Halkett

Category: Nature (Page 3 of 4)

Umbrella thorn acacia trees pump toxic substances into their leaves to rid themselves of browsing giraffes.
Umbrella thorn acacia trees pump toxic substances into their leaves to rid themselves of browsing giraffes.

They speak a language that the strangers do not know

October 23, 2018 /

This blog begs the question do trees talk? Or perhaps more specifically do they communicate with each other? According to the dictionary definition, language is what people use when we talk to each other. Looked at this way, humans are the only beings who can use language, because the concept is limited to our species. But do trees communicate with each other? If so how, they definitely do not produce sounds, so there’s nothing to hear. It turns out trees have a completely different way of communicating – they use scent.

Scent as a means of communication? The concept is not totally unfamiliar to us.… Read more “They speak a language that the strangers do not know”

Distinctive umbrella form, mature Araucaria araucana trees a feature of the streets of Buenos Aires.
Distinctive umbrella form, mature Araucaria araucana trees a feature of the streets of Buenos Aires.

Araucaria trees feature of Paris of the South

June 26, 2018 /

Driving around the streets of Buenos Aires the capital of Argentina, as you do, it is easy to see why it is call the Paris of the South. Wide boulevards, extensive parklike gardens, and heaps of statues. Striking and so South American are the frequent mature Araucaria trees.
A distinguishing feature of many South American landscapes is the Araucaria araucana trees, commonly called monkey puzzles, or Chilean pines. An evergreen tree native to central and southern Chile and western Argentina, they grow to five metres in diameter and up to 40 metres in height.
Araucaria araucana is the hardiest … Read more “Araucaria trees feature of Paris of the South”

The Wishing tree, Sydney’s Botanic Gardens, about 1880: Probably the most notable tree to have grown in the Gardens.
The Wishing tree, Sydney’s Botanic Gardens, about 1880: Probably the most notable tree to have grown in the Gardens.

Sydney’s Wishing Tree

July 9, 2017 /

Sydney’s Botanic Gardens are an important part of Australia’s tree heritage and Australia’s oldest scientific institution. Established during the reign of King George III, the Gardens were granted the royal epithet in 1959 by his great-great-great-great-granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II. The gardens are an important part of Australia’s tree heritage.
The botanic gardens are the site of the first farm which was began within weeks of the establishment of the colony of New South Wales by Governor Phillip in 1788 and are part of the Domain established by Phillip in 1792. The traditional… Read more “Sydney’s Wishing Tree”

The impressive mountain ash forests of Victoria are for height, size and grandeur, unequalled among the world’s hardwood trees.
The impressive mountain ash forests of Victoria are for height, size and grandeur, unequalled among the world’s hardwood trees.

Big Victorian mountain ash tree in Nelson

April 19, 2017 /

Went to Nelson at the top end of New Zealand’s South Island recently to visit my brother Lawrie. While there we hunted out the locally well-known Barrington Gum.
It’s an Australian mountain ash (Eucalyptus regans) thought to have been planted on then open farm land about 1860. It is now embedded within a radiata pine plantation. The tree was officially measured in 2009 and at that time had a height of 72.1 metres and a diameter of 2.4 metres. The tree is listed in the New Zealand Tree Register at: www.notabletrees.org.nz.
The impressive mountain ash forests of the state of Victoria in Australia are… Read more “Big Victorian mountain ash tree in Nelson”

Magnificent planted Queensland kauri at Blackburn Cove, eastern Sydney.
Magnificent planted Queensland kauri at Blackburn Cove, eastern Sydney.

Kauri and monkey puzzle tree

February 25, 2017 /

I have always had a soft spot for Agathis trees. This magnificent planted Queensland kauri (Agathis robusta) is adjacent to the beach on eastern Sydney where I occasionally go for a quick swim before work. It has to be well over a hundred years old – perhaps two hundred.
Together Agathis and Araucaria form the Southern Hemisphere conifer family of trees Araucariaceae. Agathis – a genus of thirteen species is generally known as kauri, after the Maori name for the New Zealand species Agathis australis.
Although the genus extends as far south as the warm temperate forests of northern New Zealand, … Read more “Kauri and monkey puzzle tree”

Main tree species in boreal forests are conifers – pines, spruces, firs and larches – adapted to very cold climatic conditions.
Main tree species in boreal forests are conifers – pines, spruces, firs and larches – adapted to very cold climatic conditions.

Boreal forests – it’s cold up there

February 25, 2017 /

Boreal forests are one of the planet’s great ecosystems. Boreal (meaning northern – they are called taiga in Russia) forest occupies the northern sub arctic zone up beyond about latitude 50 encircling the Earth at the top of the Northern Hemisphere across Russia, Scandinavia, Alaska and Canada. The boreal forest belt represents the world’s largest land-based ecosystem and act as part of the largest source and filter of freshwater on the planet.
Temperatures in these boreal forests are usually extremely low with long winter seasons. The soil freezes – only thawing for a few months in the farthest… Read more “Boreal forests – it’s cold up there”

The arrival of the festive season in Sydney is marked by the appearance of the Martin Place Christmas tree.
The arrival of the festive season in Sydney is marked by the appearance of the Martin Place Christmas tree.

Around the Christmas tree – and thanks

December 19, 2016 /

Christmas is fast approaching again! Interesting isn’t it that at the centre of this, the most prominent annual festive holiday, is a tree.
However, long before the advent of Christianity trees that remained green all year round had a special meaning for people in the winter. Just as people decorate their homes during the festive season with ever-green pines or fir trees, ancient people hung evergreen branches over their doors and windows. In many countries it was believed that evergreens would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits, and illness.
The evergreen fir tree has been used to celebrate… Read more “Around the Christmas tree – and thanks”

Northern trees disrobe for winter

November 16, 2016 /

Just had a working visit to Brussels, and was it cold after the emerging summer temperatures in Sydney! The locals know how to dress for one digit temperatures – I just don’t own those sort of clothes.
The deciduous broadleaf trees in Brussels and elsewhere across the northern hemisphere are also transiting into their winter wardrobe. This means shedding their cloak of leaves. This feature of northern hemisphere broadleaf trees is only occasionally seen in the southern hemisphere.

As deciduous trees prepare for their annual leaf loss they absorb the chlorophyll, plus other nutrients from … Read more “Northern trees disrobe for winter”

‘Dinosaur’ pine growing in Sydney

October 19, 2016 /

The Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney is one of my favorite spots in the city. Recently I paid another visit and checked out the Wollemi pine. This specimen was planted as one of the first seedlings from the trees found growing in the wild.

The Wollemi pine was formally identified in 1994. It is an example of the botanical diversity and wonder of Australian trees. Discovered when bushwalker David Noble clambered down a rocky cliff into a remote canyon in the Wollemi wilderness – hence the name – about 100 kilometres inland from Sydney. He encountered a cluster of strange-looking trees that he had never… Read more “‘Dinosaur’ pine growing in Sydney”

The orangutan ranks amongst our closest relatives and is perhaps the ultimate wildlife emblem of Southeast Asian forests.
The orangutan ranks amongst our closest relatives and is perhaps the ultimate wildlife emblem of Southeast Asian forests.

Orangutans need trees

October 19, 2016 /

The orangutan is perhaps the ultimate wildlife emblem of Southeast Asian jungles. Its compelling facial expressions and thoughtful, emotion filled eyes have instant appeal. The orangutan ranks amongst our closest relatives. Genetically they are about 97 per cent identical with us – they are intelligent, thoughtful and inventive. Now only in Borneo and Sumatra – the red apes, as they are sometimes called – possess a culture and a sense of beauty. Their name is composed of the Malay words for person (orang) and forest (hutan) that means person of the forest.

The orangutan is the world’s largest… Read more “Orangutans need trees”

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