I’ve been lucky to have a few free days over the past few weekends and I spent them riding and hiking the backroads of Cook County. The fall colors are nearly off the trees, but the leaves are splayed out across the ground, creating a magnificent carpet of red and gold to crunch through.
I have especially been enjoying the tamarack stands in the fall sunlight.
When I was younger, I did not like tamarack trees. I didn’t like that they turned yellow in the fall. I thought they looked sickly and when their needles fell, I thought they were dead pine trees. I don’t know how old I was when I realized that is supposed to happen.
But I remember being surprised when I learned that the Larix laricina, or the American larch or tamarack, is a deciduous conifer, which means it is supposed to turn yellow and lose its needle-like leaves.
After learning that, I’ve come to admire the spindly golden trees.
I love how they blend in most of the time, coexisting with the other evergreens. But then they change to add contrast to the varied greens of the white and jack pines and the nearly black spruce trees in the fall. Unlike the leafy deciduous trees that drop their foliage at the first vigorous windstorm, it seems that the tamaracks hold onto their needles longer. When the aspen and maple are bare, the tamaracks still cast a warm glow against the bright blue fall sky.
And then, when the tamarack’s needles finally do fall, they gild the dusty roads, creating a soft path to walk on.
In fact, they’ve made me almost poetic. I wish I could write a sonnet that would do justice to the lovely tamarack. I’m not that kind of writer though.
But I do love a good quote and I’ve discovered a wonderful series of cards and posters from www.yourtruenature.com that offers “quotes” from nature. The company shares “advice” from a variety of animals—bats, bear, moose, otters and more. For example, along with a beautiful print of an owl, the poster advises (from the owl’s perspective): Stay focused. Be ‘whooo’ you are. Trust a wise friend. Live off the land. Glide through the dark times. Be observant. Life’s a hoot!
On a recent trip to Isle Royale, I bought a wooden plaque with “advice” from a loon. It hangs over my desk at the office to remind me of the time spent at the Island and declares: Spend time at the lake. Enjoy a good swim. Call your friends. A little color goes a long way. Surround yourself with beauty. Enjoy time alone. Dive into life!
There are many more such cards and prints, including some that offer advice from a lake, a river, the sun and the moon. After thinking that there should be an ode to the tamarack tree, I searched and couldn’t find one. There was a print with advice from a tree, but not a specific species. The company is missing a market—there are many trees that could offer “advice,” such as the colorful maple, the elegant birch, and the majestic white pine.
I don’t have the time or energy to come up with thoughts from all the things of nature that could share wisdom with us.
But I thought I’d take a shot at my favorite fall tree. As regular readers know, I like to close my column with a quote. This week I’m not searching my usual resources, the Leaves of Gold collection or www.goodreads.com. Instead, I’m taking a shot at creating my own “advice.” Here goes, from a tamarack tree and me: Soak in the sun.
Be willing to bend.
Sometimes it’s okay to be one of the crowd.
Enjoy the changing seasons.
Don’t be afraid to stand out.
Make the path easier for others.
Enjoy the view.
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