Sycamores! There was a big sycamore back where I went to school that I liked to sit up against and read. I like birches because they look really cool. And fruit trees! I think we should plant a bunch in cities for people to eat from as they like.
I always enviously eye people’s fruit trees and vines, I wish I was closer to a community garden. I’ve seen some posts about guerilla gardeners planting food crops in nature strips. Unfortunately, I live in a place where people would either take them all, or throw fruit at cars.
There was one unusually tall tree in my neighborhood. Probably twice the height of every other tree, and the trees here are already tall since im in the pacific northwest. Idk what species. Bunch of workers had to fell it lately though sadly. I think the roots had rotted away or something and it was structurally unsound, and they were afraid it would crush the houses.
Cherry blossom trees are my favorite. We had one on our front yard when I was a kid.
Empress Tree. Paulownia tomentosa
It has fragrant purple flowers shaped like fox glove that bloom and fall April and May.
Horrible invasive around my area, it’s huge leaves soak up sun and it’s crazy fast growing outcompetes natives :(
Like species? Probably my native Madrone, Arbutus menziesii
There was an elm tree in my childhood front yard. I loved her the way kids love their moms. In the summer, I would spend hours sitting by her, leaning against her trunk, hugging her, reading and telling her everything in my life.
When Dutch Elm Disease hit, she was tagged by the city to be cut down. Every day after school, I ripped off the tag. Every day, the tag was placed higher, until I couldn’t reach it. I screamed and cried when she was cut down - it still hurts. I spent weeks sitting by her stump, apologizing for not stopping the killers.
As an adult, I fell in love with an apricot tree in my back yard. I named her Apollonia. She’s magical, and I thought I’d be there with her until I died, but we had to move last month. I took a small branch from her last prune to keep with me forever.
