North America – My Favorite Trees

February 20, 2024

Episode 96: The Mulberry

Many children around the world grow up singing the nursery rhyme, “Here we go ’round the Mulberry bush.” But what is a Mulberry bush? And have you ever even seen its tasty Mulberries in grocery stores? Turns out, this tree (not bush) is better known for something other than its fruit, and that fame has deeply pervaded world cultures whether you know it or not. Listen to find out how, but I’ll give you a hint! The Mulberry is closely related to Fig Trees, so it may or may not have something to do with a particular insect.

Tons of bonus content is available on my Patreon! (patreon.com/MyFavoriteTrees)
Music is by Academy Garden (academygarden.bandcamp.com)
Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram
Script Editing and Social Media is by Laurie Hilburn (lhilburn.journoportfolio.com)
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/plant/Moraceae

https://deepgreenpermaculture.com/2021/04/01/what-is-osage-orange-and-is-it-edible/

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0233113

https://www.ahi-intl.farm/post/silkworm-farming

https://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/83_folder/83_articles/83_silk.html

Ovid-Metamorphoses

https://www.cravat-club.com/blogs/news/the-history-of-silk-in-england

https://writingtoberead.com/2021/06/30/dark-origins-here-we-go-round-the-mulberry-bush/

https://www.bartramsgarden.org/the-bartrams-the-white-mulberry-tree-and-the-story-of-american-silk/

https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/red-mulberry/

September 19, 2023September 19, 2023

Episode 85: The Pawpaw

The Pawpaw tree is a mysterious one, somehow being both my most requested topic and one many are likely to not have heard of. This tree species produces the largest native tree fruit in North America, but despite growing among temperate Oaks and Hickories, it has qualities seen only in otherwise tropical plants. Explore the Pawpaw with me, from its earliest impacts on human history to how it could find its way back into the spotlight today.
Music is by Academy Garden (academygarden.bandcamp.com)
Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram
Script Editing and Social Media is by Laurie Hilburn (lhilburn.journoportfolio.com)
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast

Sources:

https://susqnha.org/riverroots-forgotten-fruit-pawpaw/

https://raintreenursery.com/blogs/pnw-edible-plant-blog/considering-pawpaw-biology-to-inform-how-to-grow-them

https://www.gardenclub.org/blog/native-american-paw-paw-trees

https://apalacheresearch.com/2021/06/24/the-indigenous-agriculture-of-the-americas-pawpaw-fruit/

https://daily.jstor.org/plant-of-the-month-the-pawpaw/

https://www.nps.gov/articles/pawpaw.htm

https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/asitri/all.html#BOTANICAL%20AND%20ECOLOGICAL%20CHARACTERISTICS

https://patch.com/massachusetts/charlestown/historic-canoe-burning-underway-near-boston-harbor

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/native-americans-and-freedom-religion/

https://heppy.org/paw-paw-festival/

February 21, 2023February 21, 2023

Episode 70: The Beech

The Beech is iconic for its smooth, thin, grey bark. Carving one’s initials into these trees is so recognizable a practice that it inspired the cover art for my podcast. But what are the downsides of this artform and what other significant aspects in history has it given rise to? The Beech’s skin bears the scars of Nordic books, Daniel Boone, and Japanese conservation. Music is by Academy Garden. Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast. Subscribe to my Patreon for more content, now at a reduced cost!
patreon.com/myfavoritetrees
mftpodcast.com
academygarden.bandcamp.com

Sources:

https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/am_beech.htm

https://dbpedia.org/page/Fagus_(god)

https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2018/05/beech-book.html

https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/trees/fagusgrandifolia/records/

https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/trees/europeanbeech/records/

http://libraryexhibits.uvm.edu/omeka/exhibits/show/uvmtrees/american-beech-introduction/american-beech-native-american

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3798331.pdf

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/30343

https://naturewalk.yale.edu/trees/fagaceae/fagus-sylvatica/european-beech-95

https://onlineexhibits.library.yale.edu/s/jappalachia/page/beech-trees-rural-revitalization-and-green-tourism-the-origins-of-the-shinetsu-trail

https://allabout-japan.com/en/article/3105/

https://www.wlwest.co.uk/knowledge/how-to-bend-solid-wood-steam-bending/

https://www.smokinlicious.com/blog/to-the-beech-wood-species-we-go/

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/712752-i-frequently-tramped-eight-or-ten-miles-through-the-deepest

https://trees.stanford.edu/ENCYC/FAGsyl.htm

https://web.archive.org/web/20010821002157/http://www.buckingham.ac.uk/life/buck/bucktown/begin.html

September 20, 2022September 20, 2022

Episode 59: The Douglas-Fir

The Douglas-Fir is one of the most iconic of the big trees that define the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Its wood is premier for lumber use across the western United States and its extensive human influence is surrounded by culture and story. This episode dives into those stories as well as exploring why this tree is not actually a Fir as well as the backgrounds of the Scottish botanists that contributed to its modern name. Music is by Academy Garden–cover art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees or on Instagram @treepodcast.

Sources:

September 6, 2022September 6, 2022

Episode 58: The Pecan

Nothing says Fall in Texas quite like a slice of pecan pie. This final nut of our miniseries is truly a staple of the American South as it does not grow anywhere else in the world! Learn about how this rich delight was almost overlooked as a crop, some controversy in its historic production, and how to actually pronounce the dang word itself. Music is by Academy Garden. Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow my on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees or on Instagram @treepodcast.

Sources:

http://dialect.redlog.net/staticmaps/q_21.html

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=cail2

https://farmtogether.com/learn/blog/a-brief-history-of-pecans

https://www.hudsonpecan.com/blogs/news/history-of-the-pecan

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/pecan-industry

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/pecan-shellers-strike

https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ref/abouttx/symbols.html

https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=ST023

May 3, 2022May 3, 2022

Episode 49: The Longleaf Pine

The Longleaf Pine is a tree that once covered great expanses of the Gulf and Atlantic coastal states of the US. But now, these trees only occupy 3% of their original native range. What made this tree so incredible and why did it almost disappear? Music is by Academy Garden. Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast.

Sources:

https://longleafalliance.org/what-is-longleaf/the-tree/life-stages/

https://longleafalliance.org/what-is-longleaf/the-tree/

https://www.americanforests.org/blog/history-of-the-longleaf-pine/

https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/lifestyle/2021/04/09/north-carolina-longleaf-pines-its-history-and-future/4825186001/

https://www.uaex.uada.edu/publications/PDF/FSA-5023.pdf

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs141p2_015425.pdf

https://maritime.org/conf/conf-kaye-tar.htm

April 5, 2022April 5, 2022

Episode 47: The Rhododendron

Spring is here and that means it’s time to celebrate Spring flowers. One of my favorite flowers belongs to a plant known as the Rhododendron. In this episode, I’ll talk about the role it has played in the history of gardening as well as in the secret language of flowers. Music is by Academy Garden. Cover art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast.

Sources:

https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v40n1/v40n1-palser.htm

http://legacy.tropicos.org/Name/50303842

http://anpsa.org.au/r-loc.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20080719144250/http://www.wildeel.com/rhodotree.html

https://nagalandgk.com/guinness-world-records-from-nagaland/

https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol/washington/state-flower/coast-rhododendron

https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol/west-virginia/state-flower/rhododendron

https://www.softschools.com/facts/plants/rhododendron_facts/1105/

https://www.almanac.com/plant/rhododendrons-and-azaleas

https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-language-of-flowers-royal-horticultural-society/DQXBY7DfLX9RIg?hl=en

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3404272/

https://agricultureandfoodsecurity.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40066-019-0251-3

https://emersoncentral.com/texts/poems/the-rhodora/

https://ashs.org/page/Horticulture

https://localhistories.org/a-history-of-gardening/

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=279985

March 8, 2022March 8, 2022

Episode 45: The American Oaks

This episode covers the Oak species native to the United States. This incredibly diverse group of trees comes with an incredible history–from bourbon barrels to warships to murder mysteries, find out what makes the Oak so inherently American. Music is by Academy Garden. Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees or on Instagram @treepodcast.

Sources:

http://rebeccalattaconsulting.com/2020/07/23/how-oak-trees-evolved-to-rule-the-forests-of-the-northern-hemisphere/

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-69099-5_2

http://www.oaksofchevithornebarton.com/about-history-of-garden.cfm

https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/usa/tennessee/grundycounty/28013_savagecampingstation/51897/

https://archive.wvculture.org/history/parks/mingooak01.html

https://www.mrlocalhistory.org/oldesttrees/

https://www.dayton.com/places/park/dayton-oldest-sisters-are-550-years-old/P5nypeTBMZNzbGnbcxQteM/

https://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov/OpenNonWebContent.aspx?content=25907.wba

https://www.nps.gov/guis/learn/historyculture/live-oak-naval-icon.htm

https://www.arborday.org/programs/nationaltree/ntpressrelease.cfm

https://www.wildflower.org/magazine/native-plants/americas-romance-oak

https://austin.culturemap.com/news/city-life/10-06-17-history-treaty-oak-tree-downtown-austin/

https://www.cbs58.com/news/the-bizarre-story-of-a-man-who-tried-to-murder-a-600-year-old-tree

https://af-legacy-prd.americanforests.org/magazine/article/before-america-was-america/

https://www.suddenoakdeath.org/

https://www.nps.gov/articles/oak-decline.htm

https://mortonarb.org/app/uploads/2021/05/RedListOaks2020.pdf

https://cornwallhistoricalsociety.org/the-charter-oak-tree/

https://arachne.pierroton.inra.fr/QuercusPortal/index.php?p=EVOLUTIONARY_BIOLOGY

https://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/HowTheConifersShowThePromiseOfSpring-Seneca.html

https://www.whiskyadvocate.com/why-and-how-oak-matters-in-whisky/

February 22, 2022February 22, 2022

Episode 44: Ranger’s Choice Medley (Limber Pine and Walking Palm)

This episode celebrates the birthdays of two park rangers who have inspired my own path as a ranger. To make both their dreams come true, we are talking about both the Limber Pine and the Walking Palm. These two are very different trees that tend to get less time in the spotlight compared to some of their relatives. Music is by Academy Garden. Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast.

Sources:

Moore, Gerry; Kershner, Bruce; Tufts, Craig; Mathews, Daniel; et al. (2008). National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America. New York: Sterling. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-4027-3875-3.

https://www.nps.gov/crmo/learn/nature/limber-pine.htm

https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/can/alberta/nordegg/13764_whirlpoolpoint/

https://extension.usu.edu/rangeplants/shrubs-and-trees/LimberPine

https://www.nps.gov/gis/storymaps/cascade/v1/index.html?appid=cdf1e11268eb42f1bdb758725a7ebcb8

https://www.livescience.com/33663-walking-tree-socratea-exorrhiza.html

https://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-77442007000300005

https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Socratea+exorrhiza

https://palms.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/v29n2p64-71.pdf

https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1200702-2

December 28, 2021December 28, 2021

Episode 40: The Birch

We’re once again revisiting the Celtic Ogham Tree calendar to finally cover the first month, named for the Birch Tree. This tree’s symbolism of regeneration has made it a perfect tree to kick off the new year and its beauty and usefulness have made it well-loved throughout the northern hemisphere. You’ll finally learn what my very favorite tree is and hear my opinions on Birch Beer! Music is by Academy Garden. Cover art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees or on Instagram @treepodcast.