Glorious Trees in Our Neighborhood: Fun, Year - End Review

Helga with a Dawn Redwood tree in Beacon Hill Park. This tree is considered a “living fossil.” And wow, it has such an amazing history, as Dawn Redwoods were thought to be extinct until a small grove of them was discovered in the 1940s in China.

I hope you’re having a wonderful holiday season! It’s been a joy sharing my love for trees with you this year. I started out in March talking about my art exhibition at Emily Carr House called I Heart Trees: A Celebration of their Glorious Gifts. I’ve been studying trees everyday since the beginning of 2023 and doing some kind of tree-inspired art every day as well.

Learning about trees has been a wonderful passion project. I’ve learned so much along the way and all through the process, I’ve been sharing what I’ve been learning by leading Tree Tours through our beloved Beacon Hill Park, teaching tree-themed art classes at Emily Carr House, organizing a monthly-ish Tree Club, writing this column and much more. I’ve even been recognized as “The Tree Lady” at times when walking around James Bay! What a gift this has all been!

Helga created a Tree Alphabet with stitched leaves, sticks and seedpods from trees in Beacon Hill Park. You can view the entire alphabet on display in the classroom upstairs at Carr House.

I’d love to do a quick, fun review of the trees I’ve covered this year in the James Bay Beacon. I’m not planning to continue writing this column next year…but maybe I’ll pick a tree each season to highlight? We shall see.   

In May, I shared the gorgeous Gingko tree. I’m absolutely in love with its elegant fan and heart shaped leaves. These trees are “living fossils,” dating back hundreds of millions of years. They are highly revered, sacred trees in China and Japan. They can live for thousands of years and have an abundance of medicinal benefits.   In June, the Horse Chestnut was featured. I’m quite obsessed with this tree in all seasons: Spring with its bounty of orchid-like blossoms; Summer with its ever-growing spikey, ball-shaped seedpods; Fall with its lucky chestnuts and brilliant Autumn leaves; and Winter with its incredible bark textures and bird nests exposed.

Magnolia trees are indeed “splendid beauties.”

In July/ August, I covered a few different types of magnificent Magnolia trees, including the Cucumber Tree which is native to eastern Canada and endangered. Magnolia trees are “living” fossils, and one can tell that they are unique and ancient by looking at their bizarre, fascinating seedpods. In September, our beloved, local, endangered Garry Oak trees were featured with their crocodile-like bark and twisted limbs that have inspired many, including Walt Disney. In October, we dove into several different types of Maple trees with their amazing Autumn display and yummy maple syrup. Bigleaf Maple trees are native to here and have the largest leaves (up to 24” across!) and seedpods of all Maple tree species.

Oak trees are revered for their “wisdom.”

In November, we learned about wonderful Willow trees with their healing properties (this is where the main component in aspirin comes from) and how they can be found in many ancient myths and legends.

All these glorious trees can be found in Beacon Hill Park. We are so lucky to have this beautiful, Heritage Tree Site with trees from around the world (many that are over 100 years old).

Do you have a topic you’re interested in? Perhaps you’d like to commit yourself to daily learning on a subject of interest as well? Whenever we add a new habit, the key is pairing it with something we always do. For me, I added my tree studies to my lunch everyday. And for my art making, I added it on to my daily walk…I’d find a tree treasure on my walk and then create art with it in some way: perhaps simply drawing it, making marks with it, stitching it, collaging it, etc.…wherever my joy carried me.

Thank you for reading and giving me the opportunity to share my deep love for trees! Wishing you an abundance of tree love to brighten all your days ahead.

This article was originally published in the James Bay Beacon newspaper in December 2024.

Helga Strauss is a local artist, educator, therapeutic arts practitioner and tree lover… find her and her past tree articles at HelgaStrauss.com. Join her at historic Emily Carr House (built in 1863) for fun, inspiring art classes. Sign up on Eventbrite through The Carr House Community Society.