The Hidden Life of Trees, by Peter Wohlleben

[boxofdelights]

Half of the life of trees takes place underground, and almost all of it happens too slowly to catch our attention. Trees communicate with each other and with other species through chemical signals and soundwaves that we need instruments to detect.

Wohlleben draws on the scientific literature and his life's work as a forester to talk about what's going on with trees. Trying to take the tree's point of view of those facts does lead him to anthropomorphize, but that mostly shows up in adjectives: he'll call a tree's behavior "loutish" or describe salt spray as "painful".

The 36 short chapters are perfect for reading at bedtime, then turning out the lights and imagining what it is like to be a tree.

Comments

[kore]

Wow, this sounds lovely.

[sovay]

he'll call a tree's behavior "loutish" or describe salt spray as "painful".

What is a tree doing when it's loutish?

[boxofdelights]

Growing up fast and weak, without any parental discipline; shooting up many feet at a time of your life when a properly-raised young tree would only be adding inches; putting out thick branches at a height where you should only make thin branches, because if you make it to adulthood, you'll shade those branches out with your own crown, so they will drop off and leave a wound, which you could cover with bark if it were small, but which will leave a permanent gap in your defenses because it is too big.

[lunabee34]

That sounds like a great read.

[bibliofile]

Now I just want to lie in bed and imagine what it is like to be a tree.