Wohlleben is the manager of a forest trust in Germany, and over his years in the forest he has learned a thing or two about what makes trees tick. The Hidden Life of Trees shares a number of his insights and they are mind-blowing: did you know that trees ‘speak’ to each other through their root systems? That they can keep the stumps of relatives who have been chopped down alive for decades? That slow growth for most tree species is a feature, not a bug? That trees have to replace their outer bark layers, kind of like how snakes shed skin? That moss actually grows wherever the water flows down the tree trunk and isn’t helpful at all in knowing a direction?
This book has turned me into a walking trivia book, especially as my post-COVID vacation days have been spent in the great outdoors rather than exploring urban spaces. I’m finding myself incredibly interesting, and so far my hiking companions haven’t complained (we’ll see how this goes long term- I have a feeling that fact repetition may impact how annoying I am…).
Perfect for the cbr12bingo #Green square