My daughter and I go to the library once a week to check out new treasures. My latest gem is “Lives of Trees: An Uncommon History” by Diana Wells. I love trees.
Diana Wells covers a vast array of trees from acacias to yews and a lot in between. Even plants we think of as trees turn out to be gigantic herbs like the banana tree- I mean herb. And the coconut tree is really more “akin to grasses than trees.” I like her story about the coconut seed that lives up to a year before it sprouts new life. This gives the seed a chance to go on a floating ocean adventure before it lands on a new shoreline.
“In Germany, fir trees were planted in front of the homes of newly wedded couples to bring them good luck.”
“Lives of Trees” has interesting stories about invention- Rudolph Haas, a California mail carrier, invented the Haas avocado tree in 1925. (It’s good to have a hobby isn’t it?) And aspirin comes from the bark of willow trees. This book makes you look at trees in an array of new lights.
4 comments:
Sounds like a really interesting book! I'm going to tell my kids that the Haas Avocado tree was created by a mail carrier! =)
Stopping by from Blogging Buddies team.
~Kim
http://2justByou.blogspot.com
very interesting facts! I like fruit trees!
I'm your new follower!
Stopping by from Blogging Buddies (here's my blog: prodigycrafts.blogspot.com)
Very neat to find out new things! I actually had heard of the avocado guy, but none of the others. I love huge old trees, like the redwoods in CA or the live oaks in Florida. But I also love a weeping willow tree, when it's full and green. Such a neat thing.
Thanks for the review. I found your blog looking for drawings of quince. Lovely drawing and now I have a new book on trees to read. Thanks!
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