The last ash tree in Kentucky
It's alive because of... sugar water?
When I was maybe 11 (or maybe 14… I suck at dating things), my dad and I planted an ash tree in our backyard.
It was already growing on our neighbor’s property, but it wasn’t doing well. The neighbor offered the little tree to my dad, if my dad wanted to dig it up and replant it.
My dad agreed. I helped him dig up and replant the tree.
We did our best to get all of the roots, but we had to saw through one that was too big and long for us to dig up.
This, in addition to the fact that ash trees in our region were all succumbing to the emerald ash borer, did not make my dad optimistic about the little tree’s survival.
“It’s prob’ly gonna die, Les,” he said. “Just prepare yourself for that.”
Even so, we gave the tree water and fertilizer, and hoped for the best. I think I put my hand on its trunk and said a prayer. (That’s something I can imagine myself doing, anyway.) My dad hoped that someday, it would provide shade for us while we sat on our backyard patio.
Against all odds, the little ash tree lived.
It’s still alive today, almost 30 years later, and it’s a huge, leafy-crowned beauty. And yes, it does shade the patio. Combined with the two locust trees in my parents’ yard, their patio is shaded all day.
Sometimes my parents have arborists come out to look at their trees, and the guys always stare at the ash tree and go “What the fuck. I thought all of these were dead. This is the healthiest ash tree I’ve seen in this area in years.”
In so many words.
What does my dad attribute the health of the ash tree to?
Was it the teamwork and love we put into it at the beginning?
Was it the little prayer I (probably) said?
Nope.
It’s a hummingbird feeder.
His theory goes like this.
“I think the hummingbird feeder is attracting these little black and white woodpeckers. I see them drinking the hummingbird food sometimes. But they also peck the bark of the tree and eat bugs. I think they’re eating the killer beetles out of the tree bark. I think the woodpeckers are keeping the tree alive.”
Is he right?
I have no idea. But it seems pretty plausible.
Trees, humans, and animals live together in a holistic, interconnected ecosystem. It’s not that humans are charged with the care of nature. It’s that we ARE nature. Humans are not a scourge upon the earth. We are not a virus. The Earth created us as part of itself. And in our most natural state, we support our Earth. We are designed to do so. Even our love for beauty supports our world.
In this case, a simple love for hummingbirds might be the one thing protecting the ash tree.
We so often hear about the negative impact humanity has on the environment. And that must not be dismissed. We must work to be aware of and stop our selfish behaviors. Mindful, stay mindful.
But it’s also true that we have positive effects on the world and the life around us.
If we get intentional about that, our impact can be huge.
Like this guy who turned a dry, drought-prone area into a lush forest.
This guy planted a forest, too.
So did this guy. And these people.
People are doing good things. Big and small.
Maybe you can’t plant a rainforest. Maybe you can’t even identify the full impact you’re having on your immediate environment. But maybe—just maybe—if you care and you involve yourself in nature even a little, you’re having a bigger positive impact than you think.
Great Spirit, for my sisters let me be a flowing river.
Great Spirit, for my brothers let me be a mountain.
Great Spirit, tie reminders to my fingers. I must speak with you more often.
The time will come when everyone will sing “All life is sacred!”
P.S. I meant to write a post about rosemary and Alzheimer’s when I sat down, but this is what came out. I promise the rosemary & Alzheimer’s post is on its way!