the language of trees

well, we now know that trees are social creatures that communicate with each other in cooperative ways.  according to Suzanne Simard, author of Finding the Mother Tree, trees are linked to neighboring trees by an underground network of fungi that resembles the neural networks in the brain, she explains. in one study, Simard watched as a Douglas fir that had been injured by insects appeared to send chemical warning signals to a ponderosa pine growing nearby. the pine tree then produced defense enzymes to protect against the insect. “this was a breakthrough,” Simard says. the trees were sharing “information that actually is important to the health of the whole forest.” in addition to warning each other of danger, Simard says that trees have been known to share nutrients at critical times to keep each other healthy. she says the trees in a forest are often linked to each other via an older tree she calls a “mother” or “hub” tree.

this asemic writing is how i image the trees might be speaking to each other…one tiny pulse of information at a time.