What Kind of Tree is That?

Chapter 4

What kind of tree is that?

Was not a question I asked my parents very often as a small child, but as I started to tinker and put things together, I did become more and more interested in what kind of tree gave me the wood I was working. We had a scrap pile behind the house in an open field for years and I pulled construction materials from there when needed, but when I wanted to build a skateboard I rode my five speed to Stenerson’s Lumber to get a plank of something the right size that was not plywood. The guy behind the counter asked me what kind of wood I wanted? I had no idea and he had no patience, so I left empty handed and went to the public library to ask a few questions- from there I was pointed to several books and I finally settled on Oak. Oak is hard, durable and heavy and yes, I realize these are not characteristics anyone wants for a skate deck now a days, but in 1976 it was the style.

My parents could always tell us what was growing in the fields we drove endlessly past, and they could state the harvest dates for each variety weather Carrots, Wheat, Corn, Sugar Beets, Lettuce, Cabbage, Watermelon or whatever! And they did know generally what kind of tree we were picnicking under, but their answers were all one worded: Oak, Elm, Maple, Pine (all needled trees were Pine) or Willow was about their full repertoire and for years it sufficed. It was me who did the research and learned that my hiding tree in the back yard was a Poplar, and that the four trees by the garden that my little brother and I climbed often were Boxelder Maple trees. I learned their names because it seemed somehow important to me that I know them and to not let them be strangers with no names. There are some religions where the dead must always be remembered, that their names not be forgotten and it’s kind of like that for me- the place where my world connected with that of the world of any tree has always felt so… personal to me I have always wanted to know them by name.

At nearly two years old I cannot expect Diana to know or remember tree names, can I? I told her several new words the other day and she surprised me by later using at least two of them in the same sentence, “Worms are slippy!” she informed me as she pointed to a Worm in a children’s book I was reading to her, and I could have fallen over in astonishment!! So maybe I can teach her tree names, you know, the one word versions.

There are tricks to knowing most trees, at least in general, and most of them work best when there are leaves on the trees and they’re are bearing fruit. Back at the park, a different one, Lake Shabot Regional park which is ten minutes from our house, I spotted a Maple tree while walking with Mei and Diana so I scurried off to find some seeds which for all Maple trees is the classic helicopter fruit, called samaras- they’re heavy and rounded on one end, and the other end looks very much like a Dragon Fly wing in shape. It’s long and has a rib on one side for stiffness and aerodynamics, and these little babies are designed by evolution to spin as they fall so they can descend as slowly as possible so if there is wind, which there usually is- that’s probably why it fell, it can travel really far from the tree thereby having a better chance to find a place with sunlight so it can thrive.

I came back with my prize to show the girls and I led them to a bench while chanting “I am so smart, S, M, R, T!” one of my favorite Homer Simpson quotes. I was so excited and the girls both looked dubious, but when I held a single seed high over my head and let it go they both squealed in delight and my heart melted some. More.

“Hurreie!!!” Diana shouted which seems to be a combo of happy and hooray; it is a word wholly of her own making but has become a regular part of our household vocabulary.

“How do you do that, Wendie?” my wife asked…. here I have to tell you that she and all her friends and family refer to me as Wendie; when we met her English was sketchy and that’s just how Wade came out of her mouth. I was too busy being enchanted to care and I still don’t. Sven, the smart-ass child, regularly calls me Wendy, and Kari too but they can never get a rise out of me much to their chagrin!

“All you have to do is drop it and it does it by itself.” I told her and handed her a few seeds so she could try, and for the next half hour she and Diana had a blast launching Maple helicopters while I scrambled after them so they could reuse them. They say the best things in life are free and I offer this paragraph to you as proof of the truth of that expression!

The two seeds usually separate and spin best that way, but somehow they spin pretty well while attached together too. Look at the one end, the rounded one and tell me it doesn’t look like a Dragon Fly wing? It’s something I have never gotten over and when I pointed it out it to Mei she was fascinated; Dragon Fly is very important in Chinese culture and Mei gave Diana and I a short primer on the subject- she sounded and smiled like a little girl as she spoke and if I needed a reason to remember why I fell so hard for her that would do nicely!

Maple tree, I told Diana slowly several times and she dutifully repeated it back to me each time, we’ll see if it sticks but I’m patient, I could repeat that thirty minutes over and over for eternity and be quite content. I showed her some leaves, but I have yet to identify exactly what variety of Maple it is. Not all Maple trees have leaves shaped like a Canadian flag, but all trees in the Maple family do have helicopter seeds.. just imagine the trial and error process you or I would have to go through to come up with that design if we knew nothing of propellers, impellers, or airplane wings? And yet, this beautiful family of trees has evolved this very clever way of spreading seeds far and wide on windy days; sometimes it’s mind boggling to me how randomness can become such perfect order!

Reflections:

• Most other families of trees have characteristics that are wholly or mostly their own too. We’ll get to some of those when Diana and I come across them!
• Most gymnasium floors are Maple wood: it’s hard and closed grained. I once carved a Maple leaf bowl for my mother from a hunk of Maple that was left over from a project. I traced a big leaf on it and started chiseling out the inside of the bowl which I made smooth, and on the back I carved in most of the veins and three little feet so it wouldn’t roll over. Then with a band saw I released my creation from it’s prison and my Mother cried when I gave it to her for Mother’s Day.
• Dragon Fly to the Chinese means harmonious living energy, prosperity and luck. They are whimsically considered to be miniature dragons. As a little boy to me they meant that long hot days were the norm, at least until fall, and they reminded me of fishing.
• Been shopping!!! We have the Pacific Coast Tree Finder by Tom Watts; used to be you couldn’t go into any park gift shop without seeing this by the register. And, Trees of North America, a guide to field identification. Both of these are small and not really comprehensive, but I used to have them both and they were well used and appreciated! These live in an outing pack with sunscreen, tick repellent, colored pencils, erasers, some rope, a few games, binoculars, and two scrapbooks, along with a handful of other things. Still need to pick up: Snacks, small first aid kit and maybe a very small microscope, there are several available as plug ins for a cell phone….