Since our Mom started work, she always joked with her bosses that she was a Druid and that she should have Arbor Day off as a holiday! Everyone always laughed. For our post this year, when creating the badge, Mom found out that Arbor Day is NOT a recent invention!
The Spanish village of Mondoñedo held the first documented arbor plantation festival in the world organized by its mayor in 1594. The place remains as Alameda de los Remedios and it is still planted with lime and horse-chestnut trees. A humble granite marker and a bronze plate recall the event. Additionally, the small Spanish village of Villanueva de la Sierra held the first modern Arbor Day, an initiative launched in 1805 by the local priest with the enthusiastic support of the entire population.
We will be planting a new tree this year, but it will not be on Arbor Day.
The BIG tree that shades the back yard needs to be replaced. He was not taken care of the way he should have been while Mom was working in Calgary and then Vancouver. Though he has had some of the branches that were breaking him apart the last couple of years, he is not as healthy as he could be. He has some splits and his big branches are making them worse. Several bad windstorms and heavy snow and ice this winter have opened the splits up even more.
Right now he is FULL of ground bees who are collecting nectar. In May we hope to plant a new tree further up the bank and to the right of where he is. Then next fall, we will get Larry K (he is a tree specialist) to come and cut him back. We are leaving the stump as it will help stabilize the river bank until the new tree gets larger.
Keep Being AWESOME!
Marv!!!!!!!!!!! Stay outa that tree! You're scaring us. We are so glad a new tree is coming to yer house soon. Lynn has so furry many saplings started by nut or seed (or nutty squirrel) that have fences around them to keep the deer from scraping and eating them down. Most newer homes around here have bare yards, after they clear cut the land. Soooooo very wrong. Pass the word we said hello to all in yer house. Precious
ReplyDeleteHappy Arbor Day!
ReplyDeleteAm a tree hugger, and yet wish I could disappear about six HUGE silver maple trees in our yard, to plant native trees that would entice pollinators.
It's hard to disappear any thing, despite their unappealing aspects.
Sounds like you've got a good plan in place; we'd like to see your progress.
Sorry to hear you have to take that tree down. Sadly we've lost lots of ash trees due to those nasty bugs that came from Asia. We hope your new tree will grow big and strong.
ReplyDeleteHari Om
ReplyDeleteMarv, that all sounds like excellent caring for your trusty tree... and the new one will mingle its roots with the elder-trunk and learn what it needs to know about the ground and the river and the air around it... hugs and whiskeries, YAM-aunty xxx
It is always sad when a big tree has to be cut down. Last year between the storms Ivor cut a big branch off an ash tree which was looking dangerous and hanging over the horse field shelter. It was found to be rotten with ash die back, so he got his friend to help him and they took the complete tree down. It was completely rotten through the trunk and branches. It is sad that so many ash trees are getting diseased. A few years ago it was elms with Dutch elm disease.
ReplyDeleteBummer that the tree has to come down but it's good that a new one will replace it. Be careful up there, Marv!
ReplyDeleteMarv, please don't climb that high. XO
ReplyDeleteYes, we know about rotting trees here too...they sadly have to go, for the betterment of safety and such. We planted 4 redbud trees last year, therr of which are now in bloom.
ReplyDeleteMarvin, be careful, OK??!
oh Marv!! yoo izza too hi up inna dat tree!!! pleeze be cafeullz!!
ReplyDeleteWe're sad that tree is going to have to be cut back, but glad a new one is coming to replace it. Marv, you sure were WAY up in that tree, dude!
ReplyDeleteWe may not call it Arbor Day, but the Jewish tradition of celebrating a New Year for Trees is first mentioned in the Mishnah, and mentions a disagreement as to the date of this festival between the Schools of Hillel and Shammai (first 2 centuries CE). At any rate, We kitties think the most impawtant thing about Trees is that they are good for kitties to climb and sharpen their claws on!
ReplyDeleteJava Bean: "Ayyy, a day dedicated to trees! I approve!"
ReplyDeleteLulu: "Our Dada is playing a Druid in the game he plays online with his friends on Sunday. I bet his character likes trees, too. But not the way Bean does."