Let’s Be Dendrophiles

Encouraging you to love plants

@Seema

I love trees. I am a dendrophile. Trees are a blessing, and we owe our existence to them.

When I came to the USA, a new land, my focus was to learn each plant. I just couldn’t have lived without knowing them. Some people live in a place for decades, but know nothing about the plants around them. Sorry, I can’t be like that.

It took me a year to learn all the trees, and it brought me a sense of calm and satisfaction.

So, let me show some beautiful trees from different parts of the world.

Above, you see the mahua tree, a magnificent tree from India. All parts of the trees have some uses. The flowers look like grapes. We used to pick them during the spring season. The dried raisins were fed to cattle. Villagers made liquor out of the flowers, and the seeds were pressed to extract oil for cooking and cosmetic uses. If you notice, orchids are growing on the branches.

In the below photo, I’m sitting at the base of an ombu tree, a species native to South American pampas. I saw this one at a botanical garden in California. It was enormous!

@Seema

Sycamores are native trees in Southern California. I remember being disappointed when I first read about in ‘The Alchemist’ in India, as I had never seen one. Now it’s a common sight here.

@Seema

Coral trees bloom with lovely red flowers in spring. They originate from Africa and are often favored for street landscaping throughout California.

@Seema

Palo Verde trees have green bark and tiny leaves — a legume tree adapted to the deserts of the Southwest. When it blooms, the floral display is breathtaking, and bees go crazy over the flowers.

@Seema

Below, you can see a tamarind tree, native to India. It bears sour pods that are widely used in Indian cuisine. This tree stands near my parents’ house, with its top having egret rookeries.

@Seema

I believe you enjoyed meeting the plants.

Trees sustain animals, so animals don’t perish of hunger and will not suffocate without air.

Trees can elevate life. Love and value them.