TreeNote
Episodes
How trees adapt to dry climates
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We usually think of water as being stored in oceans and rivers, but some trees act as reservoirs too.
The humble toothpick
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
If you want to appreciate something connected to trees — but that’s overlooked because it seems so small and mundane — consider the toothpick.
How wind shapes trees
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve all seen pictures or witnessed firsthand the destructive force of high winds on trees — all those images of crushed homes and downed power l...
Why some trees need flying buttresses
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Like Europe's giant Gothic cathedrals, there are large trees that rely on flying buttresses for support.
Trees and art
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s no wonder that trees have long inspired artists. Not only are they beautiful, they also symbolize renewal, growth, time, knowledge and spiritua...
Trees at dawn and dusk
12 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
You may have heard of crepuscular animals — those that are most active during dawn and dusk — but what about the world of crepuscular trees?
Meet the tree that gives us chocolate
05 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
No chocolate fan has to wonder why the scientific name of the cacao tree translate from the Greek to "the food of the gods."
Trees and Winter Sports
29 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When winter settles in, it’s great to get outside to navigate our snowy landscapes. But we don’t often think about how our winter adventures are o...
How we got the smell of fresh pine in the car
22 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The origin story of those little tree-shaped, pine-scented air fresheners goes back to a milkman who preferred the smell of fresh pine to sour milk.
How macaws and almond trees help each other
15 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Birds and trees are natural partners, but the Great Green Macaw and the Almendro Amarillo tree depend on each other for survival.
Puppets and Trees
08 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The connection between trees and puppetry goes back for centuries.
Trains and Trees
01 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
I recently took the train from Salt Lake City to California, my first such experience in decades. Each mile, my train passed over 3,000 railroad ties ...
The Holiday Greens
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With the holidays come evergreen wreaths on people's doors and windows — which got host Nalini Nadkarni asking: Where does all of this holiday green...
Frankincense & myrrh
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
These two tree resins have a long human history, and these days are in danger of being over sourced.
The overlooked wood in the orchestra
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Orchestras are full of wooden instruments, but the piece that unifies the group is the one that most of us forget about.
The rare double coconut
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You've seen coconuts, but what about the giant — and wonky — double coconuts?
The Peppery Allspice Tree
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The first time I helped my mom make a pumpkin pie for our Thanksgiving dinner, my job was to retrieve the spaces for the filling. I knew what cinnamon...
How to break down a leaf
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's that time of year when nature goes all-in on leaf demolition. So, what's the process?
Life in the treetops
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the four decades that I've studied treetop biology, I've always focused on canopy-dwelling plants. But forests also support a fascinating array of ...
Maple trees' little helicopters
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of my favorite traits of maple trees is how they distribute their seeds.
A Witches' Broom
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you look up at a forest canopy, you might see what look like tangled clusters of twigs scattered among the branches.
Trees in Books
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Trees grace many works of fiction. Think of the magnificent treehouse in “The Swiss Family Robinson,” a beautiful, elevated place of safety on a d...
The resonance of hardwood
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clarinets are made from a tree in the rosewood family, a dense hardwood that allows makers to create instruments with long vibrations and resonant ton...
Spanish moss? Not exactly.
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On a recent visit to south Florida, I was intrigued to learn about Spanish moss, a plant that looks like wispy gray hair draped in the crowns of live ...
The seaworthy wooden canoe
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Just how far could a primitive wooden raft get you across the ocean? According to archeologists, much further than we previously thought.
The poetry of the tulip poplar
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
While on my honeymoon in the lush forests of the Great Smoky Mountains, I collected a handful of seeds of a tulip poplar tree. Over 40 years later, I ...
What makes the aspen quake?
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The world of trees creates many superlatives — the oldest tree, the tallest tree — but I bet that the quaking aspen is the world's liveliest tree....
How driftwood connects the forests to the seas
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I’ve always thought of forests and the sea as two distinct and separate systems. But there is a connector: driftwood — which brings elements of li...
How to spot a culturally modified tree
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When I hike in the coastal forests of Washington State, I’m intrigued by sighting "culturally modified trees," or CMTs. These are living trees that ...
Why peaches need their fuzz
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us wash the fuzz off a peach before we eat it. But research shows that peaches need those fuzzy hairs for their survival.
Trees in Utah's Mining History
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Utah’s Wasatch Mountains have a rich mining history, but for many of those years, there was as much activity above ground as below.
The trouble with wooden chopsticks
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Take a look at the packet of disposable chopsticks you get with your next order of sushi — you, the snap-apart kind, tucked in a paper sleeve. These...
Nature's ecological heroes
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Smoky the Bear is probably the best-known animal firefighter, but the North American beaver is the one doing the heavy lifting.
What to do with our city's dead trees
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Living, healthy urban trees cover our cities and neighborhoods. But when they die and have to be removed, cities are finding plenty of smart uses for ...
The tree that builds the lightest canoes
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the Great Lakes region, indigenous tribes built ideal canoes from the bark of the white birch tree.
Why does the space between trees matter?
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One researcher studies trees not by their shape or size, but by the space that's between their branches and other trees.
Trees and dancing
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dancing clogs have wooden soles, and traditionally were made from hardwood trees such as beech and sycamore.