The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate—Discoveries from A Secret World (The Mysteries of Nature Book 1)

Spruce store essential oils in their needles and bark, which act like antifreeze.

More light, more sun, more ultraviolet radiation. The last causes changes in people’s skin, and it appears the same thing happens with trees. Intriguingly, the outer bark on the sunny side of the trees is harder, and this means it is more inflexible and more inclined to crack.

The surprising result: the older the tree, the more quickly it grows. Trees with trunks 3 feet in diameter generated three times as much biomass as trees that were only half as wide.42 So, in the case of trees, being old doesn’t mean being weak, bowed, and fragile. Quite the opposite, it means being full of energy and highly productive. This means

If the carefully calibrated balance of energy for growth and defense gets thrown out of alignment, then a tree might get sick. This can happen, for example, when a neighboring tree dies. Suddenly, the crown gets more light, and now what the tree wants more than anything is more photosynthesis. That makes sense because a chance like this comes along

Healthy trees advertise their readiness to defend themselves in the coming spring by displaying brightly colored fall leaves.51 Aphids & Co. recognize these trees as unfavorable places for their offspring because they will probably be particularly vigorous about producing toxins. Therefore, they search out weaker, less colorful trees.

Every tree, therefore, is valuable to the community and worth keeping around for as long as possible. And that is why even sick individuals are supported and nourished until they recover.

Similar processes are at work in our forests here at home. Beeches, spruce, and oaks all register pain as soon as some creature starts nibbling on them. When a caterpillar takes a hearty bite out of a leaf, the tissue around the site of the damage changes. In addition, the leaf tissue sends out electrical signals, just as human tissue does when it

Blossoms do not release scent at random or to please us.

When it comes to some species of insects, trees can accurately identify which bad guys they are up against. The saliva of each species is different, and trees can match the saliva to the insect. Indeed, the match can be so precise that trees can release pheromones that summon specific beneficial