Trees are Benevolent Hosts

                                      Trees are Benevolent Hosts 

“A tree is our most intimate contact with nature.”

― George Nakashima

Dr Abe V Rotor

1. The tree laughs, talks, with all the joys of childhood. 

"A tree is a joy forever." Tandang Sora QC

“A seed hidden in the heart of an apple is an orchard invisible.”

― Welsh proverb

2. Playing hide-and-seek in a bamboo grove. 

The spirit of the place gives quaintness to living.

Taal, Batangas

Who would know better than a man who died fighting for trees?
“At first I thought I was fighting to save rubber trees, then I thought I was fighting to save the Amazon rainforest. Now I realize I am fighting for humanity.” - Chico Mendes

3. A fallen mango tree makes a romantic ambiance. (Atimonan, Quezon)

"The tree is more than first a seed, then a stem, then a living trunk, and then dead timber. The tree is a slow, enduring force straining to win the sky.”

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

4. Phylodendron gains foothold on Dita tree (Alstonia scholaris) as it reaches for the sun several meters high. UST Botanical Garden

“Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.”

— Kahlil Gibran

“Anyone who thinks fallen leaves are dead has never watched them dancing on a windy day.”

― Shira Tamir

“Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world anymore. There is always something to make you wonder in the shape of a tree, the trembling of a leaf.”

― Albert Schweitzer

5. Balete (Ficus benjamina) strangles its host to certain death, hence gaining a notorious name of Strangler's Fig. Mt Makiling, Laguna

"Love the trees until their leaves fall off, then encourage them to try again next year." ― Chad Sugg

6. Fruticose lichen clings on bark of tree. Lichens are communities of algae and fungi. They aid in food production and recycling of organic matter, as well as help conserve water. Caliraya Lake, Laguna

"Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world."

― John Muir

7. Drynaria fern as epiphyte helps conserve water, attract wildlife that protects trees from pests and diseases. It is not unusual that a branch gives way to the weight of the tenant fern. Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

"Trees exhale for us so that we can inhale them to stay alive. Can we ever forget that? Let us love trees with every breath we take until we perish." ― Munia Khan

8. Roots are exposed by slow erosion reveal tenacity of this tree. The tree allows growth of plants and animals like millipede and land snails, as well as micro organisms, many are symbionts to the tree. Mt Makiling Botanical Garden, UPLB

"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, 

I would still plant my apple tree." ― Martin Luther

9. Interlacing roots, principle of inarching, riprap slopes and banks, provide abode to many organisms. Mt. Makiling, Laguna.

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”

― John Muir

10. Algae and mosses live on the spongy bark of acacia, providing nutrients to the tree, and creating a favorable microclimate. UP Diliman, QC

“Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth.”

― Herman Hesse

11. Crustose lichen coats trunk of young tree. Lichens are important to the tree; they also indicate pristine condition of the environment. Caliraya Lake, Laguna

“Trees give peace to the souls of men.” - Nora Waln

12. Even after death the tree remains a host to red mushroom, termites, other saprophytes and decomposers, giving off its entire energy to serve the living world. ~

“The symbolism – and the substantive significance – of planting a tree has universal power in every culture and every society on Earth, and it is a way for individual men, women and children to participate in creating solutions for the environmental crisis.” - Al Gore ~