Elizabeth Bernstein of the Wall Street Journal wrote an article, “The Benefits of a Tree Friend.” You got it—-not a true friend, but a “Tree Friend.”  It began: “I’ve got a new buddy. She’s a Banyan Tree.”

When I was a little girl, I had a tree buddy.  She was my neighbor’s Apple Tree. When the old lady took her annual trip to Europe, I’d climb that tree, sit in the branches, look at the sky and gorge myself with green apples. I’d also knock the dirt off of some carrots I had pulled out of her garden and munch away on them. When my neighbor returned from her trip, she’s always complained about pests in her garden. She was right!

Bernstein wrote, “Trees have a lot to teach us.”  You bet they do! When my brother, David was working in his garden, he was listening to a Stephen King novel on his ear phones. At a very scary moment in the story, a squirrel jumped out of a tree and landed on David’s shoulder. The tree remained calm. Can’t say the same about David.

Bernstein continued: “Trees know a thing or two about surviving harsh years and thriving during good ones.” That’s a favorable review. However, they can also be dangerous. When my son, Josh was in grade school, I chaperoned a field trip to the park. The television meteorologist had predicted rain, but neither rain, nor sleet nor snow would keep this teacher from escaping her classroom. So we herded 20 children onto the school bus, and she instructed them to, “Stay with the group, and if there is a thunderstorm do not run and hide under a tree!” As soon as we got off the bus—BOOM! Sounded like thunder to me, and then a BIG WHITE SLASH in the sky.  At that, all of the kids scattered and headed for the trees.
The teacher shouted to me, “Herd them. We came with 20. We have to return with 20.” I shouted back, “Does it have to be the same 20?”

Adam and Eve befriended a tree. It double crossed them, and they learned a hard lesson. The Tree of Knowledge can bare bitter fruit. As Woody Allen said, “Only God can make a tree—-probably because it’s so hard to figure out how to get the bark on.”

Personally, I would love to once more befriend a tree, but that’s hard to do when living in the Sonoran Desert. For instance, Catclaw Acacias are beautiful multi-trunked trees, but unless you are a Hindu ascetic who enjoys sitting on a bed of nails, you wouldn’t nurture a relationship. Palo Verdes are thornless and have vibrant yellow flowers that promote allergies. To prune The Desert Hackberry you would not only need gloves but would have to wear goggles. The Texas Laurel, with evergreen leaves and purple flowers smells like grape “Kool-Aid,” but attracts big, black carpenter bees. Also, their seeds are poisonous, but they are so hard to chew that they provide little risk—unless you chew them.  I find the Desert Willow especially attractive, but then so do “friendly” snakes, coyotes, bobcats, fox and hawks. There are many more beautiful desert trees, but most of them will stick it to you—one way or another. It’s called survival.

Unfortunately Banyan Trees don’t grow in the desert. With such a tree one could feel close in a spiritual way. However, I can guarantee that if you hug a tree in the desert, you will definitely feel a deep rooted connection.

Esther Blumenfeld