Travelers and tree lovers share their favorite trees for the #ArborDayAtHome Campaign.
Millenary olive tree, Valencia, Spain
If we can’t embrace one another, why not hug a tree instead? With most of the population staying home to prevent the spread of COVID-19, now is a good time to find comfort in nature, especially trees. Even the Icelandic Forestry Service is encouraging people to hug trees when we can’t hug other humans.
In addition to cleaning our air and water, and protecting us from excessive heat and flooding, “planting and celebrating trees provide much needed benefits for ourselves and our communities,” says Dan Lambe, President of The Arbor Day Foundation. According to Lambe, “Spending time among trees is linked to reductions in stress, depression and mental fatigue.”
Man planting tree on Arbor day
Arbor Day, originating in Nebraska in 1872, is celebrated annually on the last Friday of April, with tree plantings, sapling giveaways and local family-friendly events. This year, since we can’t attend in person, The Arbor Day Foundation is pledging to plant 50,000 trees on behalf of those posting their favorite trees on social media with the hashtag #ArborDayAtHome.
To honor the beauty and significance of trees, travelers and tree lovers have come together to share their favorite trees from across the globe. Get inspired, hug your neighborhood tree and then share it on social media.
Trail Tree
Trail Tree, Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary, Georgia
Where: Lincolnton, Georgia
Who: Melanie Sue Bowles, Author and Founder, Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary.
Why: Trail trees are oddly-shaped hardwood trees found throughout North America. These trees were intentionally bent when they were young by Native Americans to act as permanent trail markers. This tree’s location is deep in our woods, on the ground of our horse sanctuary, and it does indeed point to a water source.
Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary had been in operation for over 20 years when we relocated to a new facility on 174 acres in rural Georgia. I felt certain this property was special — it was perfect for our herd of 53 rescue horses with its healthy mix of open pastures, meadows and woods. Exploring the woods is one of my favorite things to do.
Baobab
Baobab trees, Madagascar, Africa
Who: Brandon Presser, Features writer with a focus on adventure travel.
Where: Madagascar, Africa
Why: These baobabs started growing over 1,000 years ago — imagine: the Vikings were discovering Iceland and Eastern Canada at the time. There's a lot of brushfire agriculture in Madagascar for peanut farms — the baobabs can withstand the burning and haunt an otherwise scorched landscape. Many of them are sacred, appearing in dreams of shamans and local medicine men — some you can only approach barefooted. They're a powerful reminder that magic comes in many forms on this planet.
Oak Alley Plantation & The Singing Oak Tree
Oak Alley Plantation, Louisiana
Where: Louisiana, United States
Who: Alex Temblador, Award-winning author and freelance travel writer.
Why: No one knows who planted the row of oak trees at Oak Alley Plantation, though because they stood in two tall lines before the French arrived in Louisiana , we can surmise it was an indigenous tribe. The plantation owners built the house at the end of this row of trees, not knowing why the first peoples of this land planted them as such. Was it for a ceremony? A part of their religion or where they once built their homes? I like these trees because they're mysterious and have an origin story long forgotten, one that goes back to the people who called this nation home first.
Singing Tree, New Orleans
In New Orleans, there is this massive oak tree that plays soft music when the wind blows, thanks to a series of chimes hung on its branches by an artist. I spent time under this tree recently, in a relaxed meditation, thinking about things I'd lost and things I'd wanted. I also discovered that you can only hear these chimes by being close to the tree, a smart move on the artist to remind us to get closer to nature and discover their sounds.
London Plane
London Plane, England
Where: Westgate Gardens, Canterbury, England
Who: Jessica Leigh Hester, Atlas Obscura staff writer.
Why: This tree sits along the River Stour in Canterbury, England. Some experts suspect that it’s a London plane — a common fixture in many cities, including New York, where I live. It looks a bit like a baobab, girthy trees found in Africa, Australia and elsewhere. Some botanists believe that this one has been suffering from a viral infection, which caused its trunk to swell.
I found this tree to be enchanting. The trunk is knobby, gnarled and absolutely enormous. When I visited Canterbury on vacation last fall, I watched a lot of people jokingly try to wrap their arms around it — which, of course, never worked out for them. But it’s an amazing thing to encounter along the course of this peaceful stretch of the river passing through an ancient town — it looks straight out of some beautiful, ominous woods in a fairytale.
Banyan Tree
Banyan Tree at Moana Surfrider, Hawaii
Where: Waikiki, Hawaii, United States
Who: Johnny Jet, Founder of JohnnyJet.com.
Why: My favorite tree to see when I’m traveling is the Banyan Tree outside of the Moana Surfrider Hotel in Waikiki. I’m fortunate to have traveled to Hawaii dozens of times and I used to often stay at this hotel. Even when I’m not staying at the Surfrider, I walk by and see my old friend that’s been there since 1904.
Wanaka Tree
Wanaka Tree, South Island, New Zealand
Where: South Island, New Zealand
Who: Kaeli Conforti, a digital nomad who recently backpacked around New Zealand.
Why: I was having a bad day when I stumbled upon this popular New Zealand attraction on a walk around the lakeshore. I eventually noticed a small crowd gathering near the water 20 minutes from the town center. I found out later that photographing #ThatWanakaTree is a major goal for nature photographers, but when I was there, there were just a bunch of tourists taking selfies with it. I felt myself having a moment of reflection on why people from all over the world would come all the way to the South Island just to gush over a tree.
Travel should have more meaning. It's not just something you should be doing for the sake of telling other people you've been there or done it. Seeing the crowds fawning over #ThatWanakaTree was really strange. Or else it's the greatest tourism campaign in New Zealand, because everyone comes to see that tree. For me, it's a good reminder that we have to be better than that and dig deeper than the stuff we see on Instagram when we travel.
Angel Oak
Angel Oak, Johns Island, South Carolina
Where: Johns Island, South Carolina
Who: Pamela Jacobs, science/environmental writer from Charleston, South Carolina.
Why: This picture was taken about three years ago, the first time I visited it with my mom. The Angel Oak is a southern live oak on Johns Island, SC, and is said to be about 500 years old, yet that’s disputed — some say up to 1,500 years. Either way, it’s one of the oldest living things in the country. Its shade covers over 17,000 square feet and, from tip to tip, its longest branch is 187 feet.
I think it’s simply spectacular and resilient. It has withstood countless hurricanes, several wars and multiple attempts at development, but it persevered and just keeps standing strong and mighty. People come from around the country and the world to look at this tree, and they’re never disappointed. If anything, they’re surprised by how much one single tree can overwhelm and inspire. Maybe this tree is a symbol of our country and what it is going through: the ability to overcome attempts at destruction and denial of the importance of nature and the planet. I hope so.
Aspen
Aspen, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Where: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States
Who: Sarah Gold, travel journalist, whose work focuses on environment conservation.
Why: I'm a veteran travel writer who's visited dozens of countries with beautiful trees—but the ones that have moved me the most are the ones in the attached photo, which are quite nearby: the aspen trees in Yellowstone Park. These trees aren't just beautiful (with trunks punctuated by wise, weary-looking "eyes"); they're also a critical component in the Yellowstone ecosystem. They provide a major food source for elk, whose herds are in turn a major food source for other, much rarer species like cougars and recently reintroduced packs of wolves. When the aspens flourish, it's a sign that the park's biodiversity is in balance.
Papua New Guinea Oak
Papua New Guinea Oak, Island of Kwado, Papua New Guinea
Where: Island of Kwado, Papua New Guinea
Who: Ian Livingston, Editor at JohnnyJet.com
Why: I found this tree thriving on the other side of the world, giving shade and backstory to a place I'd just learned existed. It was tall but also dense and sprawling with heavy branches, accomplished in every direction it had tried to grow in. I remember feeling that it was a very good tree as I walked down the road next to it, maybe one of the best trees I'd see in my life, and considering the generations of human history suspended inside it.
Prickly Melaleuca
Prickly Melaleuca, San Diego, California
Where: California, United States
Who: Olivia Gilmore, travel enthusiast who currently lives in Denver, Colorado and works at a nonprofit.
Why: This tree appeared as if it was growing right out of the sand near the beach in La Jolla Cove, San Diego. A bunch of these trees were clumped together with picnic tables and kids perched on the limbs. It was neat to lean on one of these trees while watching seals play in the ocean.
Redwood Tree
Redwood in Orick, California near the Tall Trees Grove, United States
Where: Orick, California near the Tall Trees Grove, United States
Who: Ashley M. Halligan, Founder of Pilgrim Magazine.
Why: My grandfather once told me he regretted not seeing the Redwoods in his lifetime. So when he died, I took my first journey to Northern California to scatter his ashes among the oldest and most majestic trees in the world. Years later, I took our old dog Timber's ashes to the same tree outside of Orick where I laid grandad to rest years ago.
Since, I've revisited this grove many times. There's a little general store just south of Bald Hills Road, and it's become my tradition to stop there as I head north for a chocolate malt (grandad's favorite), local jerky (to leave for Timber) and a bouquet of hand-cut peonies (courtesy of the owner I befriended a decade ago and her beautiful gardens). Every time I revisit this tree, her gnarly limbs are like a hug for the soul. Time stands still in her shade, from which I've cried many tears.
Prayer Tree
Namobuddha Monastery, Nepal
Where: Namobuddha Monastery, Nepal
Who: Sarah L. Knapp, Founder of Mappy Hour.
Why: This tree serves as the anchor for thousands of strands of prayer flags that wrap their way through the forest. My brother and I had just finished our tour of the monastery and decided to walk around the grounds. That's when we saw this tree, an anchor to strands and strands of prayer flags spreading out throughout the nearby trees and down into the valley below. It made us stop and stand in awe. It was a beautiful moment, an incredible site and a bonding experience with my brother.
Pohutukawa
Pohutukawa (New Zealand Christmas Tree), New Zealand
Where: Auckland, New Zealand
Who: Brianne Miers, a Boston-based travel blogger and writer.
Why: The pohutukawa is known as the "New Zealand Christmas tree" because it blooms between November and January. During my three weeks in New Zealand, I was excited that I learned to not only identify, but pronounce "pohutukawa"!
Banyan Trees
Banyan Trees, Oahu, Hawaii
Where: Oahu, Hawaii, United States
Who: Don Bucolo, one half of the travel duo from Eat Sleep Cruise.
Why: During our 10 year anniversary trip to the Hawaiian islands back in May 2019, I was immediately captivated by the beautiful Banyan trees. These impressive trees' unique above ground root structure gives them an other-worldly look and feel. As a huge science-fiction fan, I had to take a picture with the historic Banyan found at the Iolani Palace in Oahu, as it looked like something you would expect to find in an alien world featured in a Star Wars movie. Good thing I didn't have to travel to a galaxy far, far away to capture this photo. It was only a 13-hour flight from our home near Boston, MA.
Cherry Tree
Cherry Tree, Pennsylvania
Where: South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Who: Dana Weidig, writer and editor living in Philadelphia.
Why: We moved into our house in South Philadelphia in 2014, and our street had not a single tree on it. (Our section of the city is especially sparse.) The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) offers a program that allows residents to apply for a free tree to be planted in their yard or along the sidewalk in front of their homes. The city rejected our application twice because they claimed we didn’t have enough space in front of our stoop. We appealed twice.
Three applications and five years later, we finally planted our cherry tree sapling in April 2019, with support from PHS volunteers. With our neighbors, we tended to her soil and protected her roots. She thrived through the winter, and her blossoms this year were the first signs that spring had arrived on our street. She remains the only tree on our block, but we hope she won't stay single for long.
Millenary Olive Tree
Millenary Olive Grove, Valencia, Spain
Where: Canet Lo Roig, Valencia, Spain
Who: Lavanya Sunkara (curator of this piece)
Why: There are many trees around the world with which I have fallen in love, but the Millenary olive trees in Spain are at the top of my list. On a bike ride through an ancient grove, I received a glimpse into the past. With the sun shining brightly over their silvery gray leaves, these gnarled trees with “legs” seemed like they were walking, but they’ve been firmly standing ground for over a thousand years. Planted by the Romans, these age-old olive trees have seen it all — fires, wars, the rise and fall of civilizations — and here they remain proudly, still producing olives, inspiring everyone with their graceful resilience.
Happy Arbor Day!
