Observations of a Contented Arborist

Sometimes I have to remind myself to appreciate the wonderful experiences I get to enjoy as an Arborist here in Richmond, Virginia. Below are just a few of the benefits that I experience each day:

• I get to not only see some of the most amazing trees in Richmond but also touch, smell, taste and climb them!

• I get to see unique species of trees that are most rare in the landscape and only found on a few properties or locations.
• I get to see some of the most amazing groups of lichens and mosses in and around trees, yet I’m still unable to correctly identify any of them, but I love to take their pictures.  Heads up to any Lichen experts interested in giving me a lesson!

• I’ve been able to experience some of the best views of our beautiful Richmond and the James River from the trees I’ve climbed.
• I’ve been lucky enough to catch glimpses of flying squirrels, migratory bird nests, scared opossums and racoons in the same tree with me.
• I get to view homes, buildings, structures, and landscapes that I otherwise may only see in magazines.
• I’ve been able to see up close, walk under, and sometimes climb some of the largest trees in Richmond.

• I get to witness daily, weekly and monthly changes in tree growth and development. 
• I’ve been able to observe eggs in nests and some amazingly tiny baby birds and squirrels.
• I’ve been able to analyze the inside of a tree, the decay in wood, and insects that appear to have lived their entire lives on the inside of a tree.
• I get to see mushrooms that in the past I grouped as “a mushroom” but now see them as edible, medicinal, poisonous, beneficial, or decaying fungi.

• I also get to meet some of the coolest and funniest acting and looking pets around.

My goal in writing this is to remind you how wonderful the plant world is around us and how fortunate we are, if we slow down and use our senses, to experience the trees and the plants and all they have to offer. 

Be Aware!