Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

Talking Trees

There is something serenely splendid about being in the middle of a forest, looking up into the skies, hearing the wind rustle among the branches and being rejuvenated by clean, fresh-smelling air everywhere. Such a desirable situation has often given a writer’s imagination wings, although even a familiar neighbourhood or backyard with a few graceful trees which have grown tall with them through the years, might suffice. 

Photographs taken in our backyard and Blackburn/Accrington neighbourhoods.

Through the years,  fantastical stories about talking trees have been written. Think about The Wizard of Oz and the Wicked Witch of the West, and Dorothy who is scolded by a frightening apple tree for picking its fruit without permission . . . Children of course, have incredible imaginations,  and for them, it would be a straightforward matter to start talking to the nearest tree and expect to be answered back! 

Two apple trees right at the end of our backyard, no doubt keeping each other company!

In real life however, the trees’ language is much more complicated, it happens underground, and as you’ll see, it’s very important for us to understand what they are trying to tell us . . . With this in mind, I would like you to click on the link below and watch this short, insightful video released by National Geographic.  You’ll be amazed to see how trees talk to each other, and why it is vital for us to understand their unique language. If we carelessly chop down trees, without giving it much thought, we ‘ll destroy their lines of communication with disastrous consequences for the earth!

https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/decoder/00000165-61d1-d3b2-a17d-e9f9571f0000

Me and the family high up in the mountains and forests on The Isle of Arran, Scotland.

Thank you for visiting my child-friendly blog today. Please feel free to comment and or follow this blog beyond the About Me section.

*Images are my own: 
*Video – National Geographic

 

 

Published by Maretha at Fauna Park Tales

Maretha is a South African Italian, born in a small town called Montagu. She grew up in nearby Worcester in the Western Cape – a town reminiscent of living in Switzerland among the snow-capped mountains. Worcester had a small library. Young Maretha’s visits were limited to three times a week, because the librarian told her, “You spend too much time with your nose in a book and neglect your school work.” Nothing much has changed, because she's still a confirmed bookworm who constantly strives to raise more bookworms who enjoy reading, not just as a pleasant past-time, but as an excellent tool to be used when grown-up. Before immigrating to the UK to settle in Lancashire, Maretha worked as a librarian in a private school in Botswana, where one of her tasks was to encourage children to enjoy reading. That was a labour of love for this bookworm, providing valuable help in carving her own career as a children's author/illustrator. It brought her face to face with the literary industry’s toughest critics – children and preteens. She saw that many students also enjoyed reading about birds and animals, their care, habitats and general well-being, especially when a few added catchy rhymes here and there made reading sessions interesting and alive. In 2012 her job was localised and as things often happen, this unforeseen occurrence led to a new chapter in her life. To remain motivated, she wrote down everything she could remember about her family's pets – their little habits and characteristics. For example, the character of the working-dog hero in Fauna Park Tales is based on the different traits of every single dog her family ever owned. Researching habits, habitats and interesting titbits about martial eagles and eagle owls, as well as many smaller birds such as crimson-breasted shrikes and hoopoes,made it easier to illustrate them and tell a believable story. Her illustrations appear throughout Fauna Park Tales. Maretha Botha admits to being a chocoholic and unreformed coffee addict, a keen gardener and bird watcher, who likes to walk on the moors where the stiff breeze coming in from the sea, quickly clears her head, making way for more inspiration.

5 comments

    • Thanks D.L. I thought it is fascinating to realise how the large firs are in communication with each other, and that, if the largest and perhaps the oldest tree in that part of the forest dies or gets chopped down, the others lose much of their communication skills. 😟You are privileged to be surrounded by trees, so your imagination surely fires at full throttle! 🌲🌳🌲😏🌲🌳🌲

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  2. Reblogged this on MarethMB and commented:

    Trees often intrigue me, and when my younger daughter sent me the link to a National Geographic Video about trees talking to each other, I was intrigued … I hope you will feel the same, because they are communicating their needs to us, and should we not listen? Judge for yourself.

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