Tree Books

Some of my favorite Tree books.

Saying that Trees are amazing is an understatement. Trees are absolutely incredible. Trees are the largest living things on earth, reaching outstanding heights and girths.

Trees form incredible underground networks by which they can communicate with each other and send each other food and nutrients. Mother trees will nuture their young and even kill off invading species.

In many parts of the world trees are sacred and believed to be the home of benevolent spirits and ghosts. Knocking on the tree trunks would incite protection, hence the saying 'knock on wood'. Many religions have images of a tree standing at the centre of the world.

Some of the oldest living trees are the Bristlecone pines in the White Mountains of California. The oldest is estimated to be over 5,000 years old. Then there's 'Old Tjikko' in Norway, a spruce tree that is believed to be over 9,500 years old (if you count the underground living parts of the tree, and take into account that the above ground parts have died and grown back). That is really old!!! What have these trees witnessed and experienced in their lifetimes?

The tallest trees are the Redwoods in California, and 'Hyperion' grows to 115.6m tall. The second tallest is a Mountain Ash, a species of Australian Eucalyptus.

I really dig my tree books & would like to share some of my favorites with you. The first 2 are kids books, but anyone can enjoy them and I love the quirky graphics.

The Book of Trees, by Piotr Socha

One of my favorite kids books. Gorgeous illustrations & amazing stories from around the world about well known and famous big trees. The detailed pictures of trees in this book are worth framing, so stunning. I've spent hours reading this one with the kids and learnt so much from it. Piotr also does other amazing books, including one on Bees which is just incredible.

The Magic & Mystery of Trees, by Jen Green

Another beautifully illustrated and information packed kids book about trees. I love how it covers where different trees grow in the world, how they live types of trees, life cycle, seasons, interactions with animals, the wood wide web etc  I learnt a lot about tree families from this kid orientated book.

The Meaning of Trees, Robert Vennell

One of my favorite books ever. It's just exquisitely laid out & presented, beautiful illustraions, the words are magical, Robert travelled the length of NZ interviewing elders to gain knowledge & info for this book, and covers on all topics including NZ history of the plants (which are all NZ Natives) Rongoa uses, taxonomy & etymology (so fascinating!!). A really beautiful addition to any booklovers library, especially if you have a thing for NZ Natives.

Field Guide to New Zealand Native Trees, John Dawson & Rob Lucas

This is my go to reference guide for identifying New Zealand native trees. I take it in my backpack on every bushwalk and without fail pull it out to ID a tree or plant. It's got enough identification tips for you to thoroughly and confidently identify NZ native trees, and I've learnt so many new trees from carrying this guide around. Beautiful photographs throughout. NZ Native favorite.