Oak trees are iconic long-lived and enduring trees with their majestic form, large sweeping branches – sometimes with a picturesque asymmetrical balance, and massive trunks. Their leaves and acorns are also used as symbols, while acorns have been used as …
“No tree becomes rooted and sturdy unless many a wind assails it. For by its very tossing it tightens its grip and plants its roots more securely; the fragile trees are those that have grown in a sunny valley.” So …
Once when I was backcountry skiing in King’s Canyon National Park I was on a constant lookout for the big trees, the Giant Sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum). I had seen them a few years prior in their protected groves, fenced off …
After several years of drought, we have certainly had some significant rains. Our soils are saturated, aquifers recharging, and we have a snowpack that is thought to last through to next winter. I couldn’t have wished for a better time …
I have been delighted with many of the early rainstorms that delivered steady and gentle rains. The gentle rain allows water to percolate into the soil. This is where we want it, to feed the roots of our landscapes and …