Windbeeches on the Schauinsland in Germany. Photo by Richardfabi, public domain
Happy Arbor Day 2016! Today is a time to commune with nature and take care of or plant a tree. This year, Arbor Day falls on the last Friday of April.
There are lots of ways to celebrate plant a tree day; walk in the forest, hug a tree, water a tree, or even plant a tree. You could check out some famous trees on Wikimedia Commons and read about them on Wikipedia.
The below text is adapted from Wikipedia, written by various contributors, freely licensed under a CC BY-SA 3.0 License and the GDFL. Authorship information can be found in each article’s “history” tab.
Comfort Maple
The Comfort Maple Tree, Pelham, Ontario. Photo by Osenoa, CC BY 3.0.
The Comfort Maple tree is an individual sugar maple (Acer saccharum) located in Comfort Maple Conservation Area in the Town of Pelham, Ontario. The tree is estimated (not based upon a complete ring count) to be about 500 years old. If correct, it would make this one of the oldest sugar maple trees in Canada. Read more…
See more images of the Comfort Maple on Wikimedia Commons.
Populus nigra
Black poplar (Populus nigra), one of two in the park in Velká Bystřice, the Czech Republic. Photo by Jan Kamenicek, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Populus nigra, the black poplar, is a species of cottonwood poplar, the type species of section Aigeiros of the genus Populus, native to Europe, southwest and central Asia, and northwest Africa. Flora Europaea: Populus nigra
It is a medium-sized to large deciduous tree, reaching 20–30 m (rarely 40 m) tall, with a trunk up to 1.5 m diameter, though some old individuals have grown much bigger (more than 3 meters DBH for several trees in France). Read more…
See more images of the Populus nigra on Wikimedia Commons.
Bodhi Tree
The Mahabodhi Tree at the Sri Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya. Photo by Ken Wieland, CC BY-SA 2.0.
The Bodhi Tree, also known as Bo (from Sinhalese: Bo) and “peepal tree” in Nepal and Bhutan, was a large and very old sacred fig tree (Ficus religiosaSimon Gardner, Pindar Sidisunthorn and Lai Ee May, 2011. Heritage Trees of Penang. Penang: Areca Books. ISBN 978-967-57190-6-6)Although some English sources call such a Banyan tree, such is a different fig species located in Bodh Gaya, India, under which Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher later known as Gautama Buddha, is said to have attained enlightenment, or Bodhi. In religious iconography, the Bodhi tree is recognizable by its heart-shaped leaves, which are usually prominently displayed. Bodhi trees are planted in close proximity to every Buddhist monastery.
See more images of the Bodhi tree on Wikimedia Commons.
Sarv-e Abarkuh (Cypress of Abarqu)
Cypress of Abar-Kuh. Photo byTruthBeethoven, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Sarv-e Abar-Kuh (سرو ابرکوه, “cypress of Abar-Kuh”), also called the Zoroastrian Sarv, is a Cupressus sempervirens tree in Abarkuh in Yazd Province of Iran. It is protected by the Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran as a national natural monument and is indeed a major tourist attraction with a height of 25 metres and circumference of 18 metres. It is estimated to be over four millennia old and is likely the second-oldest living thing in Asia. Earth watchers Center.
See more images of the Sarve-e Abarkuh on Wikimedia Commons.
The Podyjí National Park, a national park in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic / EU. Photo Joadl, CC BY-SA 3.0 AT.
Enjoy the day! Hopefully it’s nice outside where you are. Enjoy looking through our images.
Andrew Sherman, Digital Communications Intern
Wikimedia Foundation
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