Trees are the oldest and the largest living things on earth. Some are weird, some extraordinary, some gorgeous, and some shaped by the human hand to fascinate and amuse. Please enjoy these images–or better yet, take a walk in the woods and greet them in person with appreciation.

As Patricia Hays suggested in the comments below, if you’re inclined, you can listen to Paul Robeson sing about trees while you meander through this post. Thanks to Tom Reiter for forwarding the link.

Thanks to: 9Wows, and Dean.

This post is a group effort. Here’s a lovely tree poem/prayer that has been going around the internet with these images. Thanks to George for forwarding it to me:

An Ancient Prayer of the Woods

I am the heat of your hearth on the cold winter nights,

the friendly shade screening you from the summer sun,

and my fruits are refreshing

droughts quenching your thirst as you journey on.

I am the beam that holds your house,

the board of your table,

the bed on which you lie,

and the timber that builds your boat.

I am the handle of your hoe,

the door of your homestead,

the wood of your cradle,

and the shell of your coffin.

I am the bread of kindness and the flower of beauty.

‘Ye who pass by, listen to my prayer: Harm me not.’



(A prayer used in Portuguese forest preservation for more than 1,000 years)