Dr M is particularly fond of Vancouver and from his past visits there the wonderful trees left a lasting impression, beautiful and diverse in nearby forest and also in town.
Dr M was therefore delighted to find this lovely self-guided tree walk of the amazing tree-lined Kitsilano district of Vancouver, check it out next time you are there! Devised by Ryanne Matthias, botanist and tree lover (and another of Dr M’s past students!), this tree walk even has its own own dedicated website kitsTREEmap!
KitsTREEmap has all you need for a great tree walk; a map and lots of great images of trees and text with descriptions and inspirational quotes. kitsTREEmap believes “that humans can get so much from hanging out with the trees: chatting them up, showing them respect and tuning-in to their life force. You don’t have to be super whacky to talk to the trees and by both learning about the trees and being amongst them we can engage not only our minds but our body, heart and spirit. So for each featured tree kitsTREEwalk offers some ideas to help you find your own connection with nature.”
This is a serious tree walk, 12km in total, and though it could be done in around 3 hours, to really enjoy the whole experience you should take a whole day. And why not ake a day out for the trees? Such a walk will help you enhance your love of trees, will give you a great opportunity to walk & explore new areas, will fill a spare day and most importantly, will help you connect with nature.
Like all great walks it will bear repeating, and different times of year will bring different nuances and new delights, like the spring Cherry blossoms, the summer vibrant, dancing, spiritual greens and the autumnal spectacular yellows, oranges, purples, reds and pinks.
The featured image is just one example of the trees on this walk; the Japanese Zelkova (latin name: Zelkova serrata). This is a broad, medium sized, deciduous tree with narrow oval leaves with a serrated margin, hence the Latin name ‘serrata‘. They start green in spring and change to a lovely orangey-red in the fall. This tree has a short trunk and a big head – so it should, it is stunning!
Inspiration: The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see Nature all ridicule and deformity, and some scarce see Nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, Nature is Imagination itself (William Blake 1799).
Check out the interview with Ryanne Matthias in British Columbia Magazine for more on kitsTREEwalk and the inspirations behind her arboreal creation.
Dr M says there is a tree walk at University of Reading too but KitsTREEWalk has inspired Dr M to devise his own UoR botanical walk, talking in trees but also other flora, buildings and features, watch out for this in 2014!
November 18, 2013
