Nations have fought wars over seemingly insignificant objects. There was the bloody war about a bucket, the revolution that began with a dispute about an unpaid wig, and the big kerfuffle over […]
The Tree That Almost Caused a Second Korean War
Fugitive Charlie’s Fearful Flight
Charlie was a fugitive. He had been running for a long time. It felt as if everyone had turned against him. He was at one of the lowest points of his life. […]
Why This May Be the Most Important Tree in History
At first glance, it appears to be an ordinary tree. Appearances can be deceiving, however. There is much about this tree that is far from ordinary.
God in the Quad — Do Trees Disappear When You Stop Looking?
Anglican bishop and philosopher George Berkeley (1685-1753) was famous for his theory of immaterialism. He linked existence to perception. He suggested that material things do not exist in and of themselves but […]
This Is One Sandbox You Won’t Want to Play In
Few things can seem more suited for children than a sandbox. It is a place of safety, creativity, and playfulness. For that reason, if you have young children, you might be inclined […]
This Tree Is So Deadly That You Can’t Even Stand Near It Without Danger
Joyce Kilmer wrote, “I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree…” Kilmer intended to express the beauty and serenity embodied by trees. If Kilmer’s inspiration had […]
There are More Trees on Earth Than Stars in the Milky Way
When it comes to incredibly-large numbers, it’s hard to outdo the stars in the sky. Take anything on earth and compare its numbers to the stars in the Milky Way, and it […]
The Toxic Tale of the Murder Tree
When it comes to murder mysteries, we typically don’t consider trees when trying to figure out who the killer might be. Perhaps that’s just one of the reasons it has taken so […]
Get Two Trees for the Price of One with the Double Tree of Casorzo
Poet Joyce Kilmer famously opined that he would never see a poem as lovely as a tree. If one tree struck his fancy, one wonders what he would have said if he […]
If You Cut This Tree It Will Bleed
We all learn at a very early age that trees are living things and should not be cut down with wanton abandon. If you forget that lesson, you will get a vivid […]
The 20-Year Flight of the Killer Bullet
EDITOR’S NOTE — January 19, 2021: We knew when we published this piece on January 26, 2016, that the story was so fanciful that its veracity might be dubious. We were, however, […]
Older Than Methuselah
The oldest living thing on earth is a bristlecone pine located in the White Mountains of California, USA. When discovered and tested in 2013, it was determined to be 5,064 years old. […]
Fast-Growing Marvels
We are used to thinking of the rate of tree growth as being similar to that of continental drift. Surprisingly, the fastest-growing lifeforms on the planet include trees. Consider some of these […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 