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identity_of_trees_walks [2014-08-19 16:12] – [* Alder, els, l'aulne, alnus] rasa | identity_of_trees_walks [2014-08-19 18:13] – [* Larch, lork, le mélèze, larix] rasa | ||
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- | Duties: from cradle to cradle: everything can be used, sap is used for wine, honey, sugar and can be drank in spring as a long-life-elixir; | + | // Observe, touch and peel some of its skin, it is harmless and it allows you to start a fire when there is no dry paper available // |
- | character: Lady of the Woods, symbol of light, new spring, elegance & grace | + | |
+ | The birch is said to be the Lady of the Woods, the tree of the future. It is a pioneer tree that does not demand for high maintenance, | ||
+ | It symbolizes the idea 'from cradle to cradle': | ||
+ | The skin can be used to light a fire in a wet place, or for shoes, coats, canoes; its wood is used for furniture; leaves and buttons are used for soap, oil, paint. The oil from Birch bark is used for treating skin conditions, and insect repellent. | ||
- | // what trees are missing? | + | About 2000 years ago the birch was mentioned in teachings of Buddha; the name ' |
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+ | The name would also find its origins in the Ghotic ' | ||
+ | Criminals and psychic patients would be beaten with birch rods to chase bad spirits. | ||
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+ | In Wales, the birch is a tree of love and wreaths of birch are woven as love tokens, its trunk used for the maypole. Like many trees with protective properties, birch boughs over cradles and carriages protect infants against the glamour of the Little People. | ||
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+ | // When you walk on, think of the different ways trees reproduce | ||
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+ | // Try to reach as high as the lork does // | ||
+ | The larch stands for survival. It was the first species to migrate back north after Ice Age. Larch can survive in very austere environments, | ||
- | Friends: toads, bats | + | Larch is the only species of its sort that looses its leafs in winter. Unlike other trees and plants, larch did not evolve into the sophisticated reproductive system of the angiosperms. The gemma of the larch is not entirely covered by the leaves of the flower. There is no pollen tube that leads the way trough the cells in order to reach its destination. And as a consequence, |
- | Duties: wood is used for fences, bats, staircases, telephone poles | + | |
- | Character: is a pioneer, the first to come back after the ice age, can survive in very austere environments, | + | Larch produces one of the toughest woods obtained from conifers and is also resistant to woodworm. It is widely |
- | check story on tannine | + | |
+ | Large quantities of resin are obtained by tapping the trunk. Small holes are bored into the trunk, most resin being obtained from near the centre of the trunk. When properly made, the same borehole | ||
// We thought of birth, when you walk on, think how is death present // | // We thought of birth, when you walk on, think how is death present // | ||
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- | dominant | + | // Feel the softness of its skin, enjoy its leaves when raining, observe its beauty and grace and in early spring, picture its fluorescent leaves // |
- | duties: name: in German ' | + | |
- | character: very sensitive to the wind, low spread roots (vs oak), very thin and soft skin, shuts its trunk with leaves like a coat because otherwise it get sunburned and can die; has a beautiful green in spring (fluo), and buttons | + | Like the Birch, the Beech has a strongly feminine presence, but while birch is a "lady," beech is a queen. Sometimes known as the Mother of the Woods, she stands |
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+ | Forêt de Soignes is known as the 'beech cathedral', | ||
+ | 38% of the Forêt de Soignes belongs to the Brussels Region, 56% to Flanders and 6% to Wallonia. Only Brussels has decided to keep part of the 'beech cathedral' | ||
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+ | In German ' | ||
+ | Beeches tend to grow their leaves in order to cover all air above them and if necessary, they wear them as a coat along their trunks. This is due to the fact that beeches are highly sensitive to sunlight, and if they' | ||
+ | Being highly sensitive and very graceful, beech is thus also a very dominant species. Not many plants can stand the shade of the beech. And once there are some beeches present in a forest, the spread very quickly. | ||
+ | But one tempest or heavy winds can be enough to make the beech stumble. Unlike the oak, beech roots are very superficial. During walks in Forêt de Soignes, you'll encounter frequently a fallen beech with its roots standing straight up as a natural wall to climb. | ||
// As a ritual to end this walk and celebrate your membership, find a new place for that something you picked up // | // As a ritual to end this walk and celebrate your membership, find a new place for that something you picked up // |