Bits and Pieces

Last month, I was sent on the quest to retrieve 15 different species of trees that are native to my state for my Ecology term project. Now, this began with me looking at a tree, scissoring off a branch and concluded with me getting odd stares from people who were probably wondering why exactly I was taking nature with me.

this right here- if I identified it correctly- is Kentucky Coffee Tree

Gymnocladus dioicus

The process of gathering 15 difference species of trees took about three days. In the first day, I brought home about 10 species to identify. There was a small portion that were native to my state while there were others that were native to U.K., Asia, Norway etc. Some of the nicely shaped leaves - this is what happens when you’re an ecology student: you look at leaves and start complimenting its structure like it’s the Beyoncé of trees- sadly weren’t native which was rather annoying due to the effort I put to hop up to grab them.

no i was not climbing this tree; I’m not tarzan or jane for that matter.. also the splinters I would get from this tree god save me

Something that this project taught me is that America is made of bits and pieces of everywhere else. We are the youngest country comprised of different religions and cultures (and trees) all meshed into one United States of America. Yes, there are trees that aren’t native to my state but are here, by some miracle. Does that make them less apart of the place that they stand? Some were native to U.K but extensively planted in my region for the past few decades, does this still make them foreign to the land they’ve occupied for the latter half of the century?

No.

Why?

Just because they weren’t the original settlers in the tree-universe, that doesn’t make them less apart of the land. Yes they came later than the natives, but here they are settled in my native state that has been their home for the last decade. Are they originally foreigners? Yes. Are they foreigners now that this is a place they have grown roots into the ground literally? No.

They are as much apart of the earth as every other native tree. What matters isn’t how long they’ve been here, but the diversification they brought to the land. 

America is made of bits and pieces of every else, and that is what truly makes America the great country it is.

me cutting branches down responsibly

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