A Tiny Lady Working Amongst Trees (and Tall People)

The wonders of technology never cease to amaze me. Working specifically with trees was a journey I began in late 2018, so what better way to share that journey than to start a blog about it? How I’ve missed writing too!

I was tired, drained and physically exhausted. I had been working and at the same time doing bird surveys, monitoring bumblebees, recording butterflies, surveying trees, reporting data… I was just trying to do too much. Then a chance conversation happened with a friend/mentor, when he remarked, “Why don’t you choose something to specialise in? Something you’re passionate about? You’re a person who likes detail and delving under the layers; we can all see that light in your eyes when you do that.” So after much thought and following my gut instinct, I chose to connect more deeply with TREES.

I have been busy working in woodlands, arboriculture, tree surveying and consultancy since my path unfolded. I’m still thoroughly enjoying my tree journey – with a particular fondness for ancient and veteran trees – even though I have now taken a more subdued role in appreciating the nuances of observing Nature. It’s a great feeling being on terra firma looking up at a giant of a tree but also occasionally being up in a tree’s canopy – climbing in sync with its grain and form – which has given me a completely different perspective of seeing the earth from a tree’s point of view.

I love the fact that trees are the oldest living organisms on this planet; they were here way before the dinosaurs, and still live on today. In ideal circumstances trees can live infinitely. I feel an almost whimsical connection with trees; when I’m among them they would whisper across my cheek with their leaves rustling in the wind. When I place my hand on their bark I can feel their spirit pulsating through my veins. When they reveal their leaves to the sun I feel a similar warmth tingling on my face. This intrinsic connection makes their presence even more real and humbling.

My place is here amongst the giants.

“She had so deep a kinship with the trees, so intuitive a sympathy with leaf and flower, that it seemed as if the blood in her veins was not slow-moving human blood, but volatile sap.”

– Mary Webb, ‘Gone to Earth’