californian trees: a family history

trees from all over the world can flourish in california due to its temperate climate. sometimes trees do a little too well out there. like the eucalyptus tree, which evolved to withstand australian wildfires by producing seeds that resprout after fire. they were brought to california during the gold rush, and tend to squeeze out the natural habitat by taking up all the water and the sunlight. people began calling them an “invasive species.”

other times, long lost trees are able to return. like during the second world war, when a deciduous redwood whose fossils were found in california was rediscovered alive in hubei, china and brought back. it’s called a “dawn redwood.” unlike its evergreen brethren, its leaves turn red and dry in the fall, shaking on their brittle stems in the breeze. every winter the trees drop their needles and regrow them in the spring.

california redwoods are some of the tallest and oldest living things on earth. they can grow up to 400 feet across the span of 2,000 years. when my grandfather died in singapore, my father was already working in california. his company donated a california redwood in my grandfather’s name, but my dad doesn’t know where they planted it.

silverbell trees are native to southeast China and northeast America. they have alternate, simple ovate leaves with pendulous flower clusters that are white or pale pink, which open in late spring. when i was born two years later, my parents planted one and named it after me.

i haven’t learned the names of the trees in the front yard of the house i grew up in. i suppose i won’t unless my parents move. around the time i cancelled my flight home for spring break, my mom sent me a picture of our front yard, luminescent with spring.