My Family Trees

by Jena Copley

Family Trees: My cousin, Eden (age 4, far left), standing next to her purple-leaf plum. Jena (me, age 5) underneath my flowering ornamental pear tree (back right). Madison (age 6, far right), my sister, hugging her yellow-wood tree. Photo from May 2004.

My grandparents have always been two of my favorite people in this world. My clearest childhood memories are from their house with all my cousins. We would spend hours making up games and running around the yard. But now, because we are all growing up and my grandparents are older, they finally decided to sell their house. We will keep the memories made in my grandparent’s house, but there are some things that we couldn’t bring with us. Particularly, seven trees. 

My grandparents started a tradition that they would celebrate the birth of a new grandchild by planting a tree that would flower or the leaves would change color during that child’s birth month. When my grandparents moved, they left behind at the old house a crab apple (blooms in early April), a yellow wood (bright flowers into June), a pear tree (white flowers in May), a purple-leaf plum (striking leaves in July), a star magnolia (eye-catching flowers in May), a crimson maple (bright red leaves in November), and a sugar maple (wonderful yellow and orange leaves in October). Recently, in part because of a college Botany course, I started thinking about those trees, but I could not even remember what type of tree my grandparents had planted for me. 

I asked my grandparents about our trees and they remembered every single one.

My grandma has been going through a lot of pictures and most years she would take a picture of us standing by our tree on our birthday. When I first saw the pictures, I was in shock.

I remembered my tree as this little thing with thin branches growing just above my head, but the pictures showed otherwise. Seeing the tree towering over me, both of us growing together was nostalgic. I now realize that when you're younger you don’t notice or remember the little things as much as you do when you get older. 

Our Trees: 

April 1997, crabapple

Alex was born right when the crabapples blossom. When the first Copley grandchild came into the world, the world definitely was not ready for him. This troublemaker always ‘jumped’ before thinking. Alex was constantly covered in scrapes and bruises from whatever mischief he had gotten into and he caused a ruckus wherever he went. He loves to test limits and be a part of a good story. We all look up to him as the cool older cousin, and fittingly, his tree usually blooms the earliest of all of our trees. 

June 1997, yellow wood

A few months after the birth of the first grandchild, my sister Madison was born. Madison is  cautious and caring. She is the “mom” of the group, and balances out Alex’s impulsive nature. Always wanting to set the best example, Madison takes pride in her schoolwork. Not only does she want to be the best, she wants everyone’s attention while she does it. Like her, her large yellow-wood tree with its long flowering time from late May to early July is always the center of attention. 

The author, age 12, with her ornamental pear tree in 2011.

May 1999, ornamental pear

Personally, I feel the most important grandchild was born next: me. As the third grandchild behind two very big personalities, I have always been the quiet one. As a kid I would watch and follow whatever the older kids did. Today I am still the quiet one, but I do like to cause trouble. I play tricks and make jokes, but never for the attention. My aversion to attention is quite the opposite of the large ornamental pear tree that represents my birth. 

July 1999, purple-leaf plum

Shortly after my birth, the third girl in the Copley family, Eden, was born. She and I have always been great friends. She loves to make everyone happy and is very go-with-the-flow. With an older brother like Alex, she has been the more timid one of the two, but you can always count on Eden. With such a serene color, the purple-leaf plum is the perfect tree to represent her. 

The author's younger brother, Craig (age 8) with his star magnolia in 2010.

May 2002, star magnolia

Once again, havoc was brought upon the family, with the birth of my little brother, Craig. No one was prepared for the big personality that came in such a small body. Craig was called the “drama king” growing up, and he always kept everyone on their toes. He has a huge heart and cares a lot, but as the youngest of three, he sure loves to be the star of the show. A star magnolia was planted for his birth, and it does him perfect justice. 

November 2005, crimson maple

Jack was born. The youngest boy of the cousins and probably the most talented. We all have our talents, but Jack seems to have them all. He has always been smart and athletic and has even learned multiple instruments. When he is older there is no doubt he will be a huge success. The crimson maple planted for his birth will grow just as big as he will be. 

October 2007, sugar maple

The final Copley cousin was born, Kate. She is definitely the youngest child, you can’t help but baby her. She is too smart for her age and will show you exactly how smart she is with her witty comebacks. Kate has a big personality and loves to make friends with anyone she meets. The sugar maple planted for Kate shows off her sweet, big personality and the tree’s leaves change a beautiful golden color during her birth month.

The author's ornamental pear tree, in May 2020, flowering in full.

Today: As time goes on many things have changed. Our generation has endured many changes to the environment, and so have our trees. Climate change has impacted our trees in ways we may not have noticed. Alex’s crabapple tree’s leaves could have been turning redder due to lower temperatures. The black vine weevils could be coming out earlier with the early bloom of Madison’s yellow-wood tree. Earlier blooms of Eden’s purple-leaf plum could have promoted larger fruits. Late budding could have led to damage to the leaves of Kate’s sugar maple. 

As a developing scientist, I am starting to understand the importance of noticing the small things. In today’s world, the changing phenology of plants can tell us a lot about the impacts of climate change. By researching the habit and phenology of our seven trees I have begun to wonder how they may have changed since being planted. All seven of us cousins have such different traits, and we have all grown and changed so much through the years. I believe our trees and their changing phenology are the perfect metaphor. Whether a scientist or a granddaughter, I will start to pay more attention to the little things, because they are worth it.

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Jena is an undergraduate student at the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio where she is studying Biology. She has a big family and a great passion for the outdoors. She spends most of her time learning, thrill seeking, and having fun with friends and family.

Guava Tree In My Courtyard

by Ambreen Salah

I always knew this elegant, graceful, colossal beauty in my courtyard would be my companion for life. Since the time I handled my senses, I remember climbing her branches and eating her juicy sweet fruits. All these years, this lady has watched me through thick and thin, through my sorrow and joy but I somehow forgot to pamper her in return.

I remember during Ramadan we would pluck her ripe ovaries to make fruit salads. We also made thick paste out of her beautiful leaves for beauty purposes.

As the legend goes, my great grandmother planted this green with her own hands and little did she know that her coming generations would ignore her heirloom.

In her days of glory, we took every possible advantage of her but now in her fumbling days we choose to ignore her. Sometimes, thinking we could save her from monkeys, we shot pebbles with a slingshot to hush them.

Today, sitting in my veranda watching squirrels dance on her strong hardy branches, I thank her for giving me memories to cherish for life. Now by amending my negligent attitude and taking her under my wing, I sometimes think squirrels and monkeys might think I’m odd, as I chatter with her all day long.

Ambreen Salah is 28 years old working as a Biology Lecturer in one of the reputed colleges in India. Ambreen completed her Masters (Botany) in 2016. Follow Ambreen on Instagram at @thegreensong.28.

A Hero Among Cactus

by Julia Ajello

Succulents in a blue bowl, and cactus with a yellow flower in a teal pot

My journey into plants and self-care started when I was sixteen. It was getting close to my oh-so-sweet sixteenth birthday and my mom kept asking me what I wanted. At that age, I think most people want a car, a big party, or money, but what I really wanted was a plant. When I told my mom, she looked at me, a bit confused and said, “okay, get in the car.”

We went to the outdoor section of Home Depot to look at plants. I was looking for a small plant that could weather the indirect sunlight my room receives. I also knew that cacti and succulents were well-known for being the plants that even the worst plant moms could keep alive (this would later prove to be a challenge).

Looking through the selection of cacti was a bit stressful. I wanted to make sure the one that I picked would be perfect. It had to have big bright flowers, look healthy and be succulent and hard to kill. There were only a few options with flowers, ranging in colors from pink, to red, to yellow. I chose the yellow because it seemed so bright and cheerful, it seemed to emit rays of sunshine. The next important decision was which pot it would be housed in for the remainder of its life. I wanted a roomy pot that was understated so the cactus would be center stage. Eventually, I settled on a simple blue pot that would accent the periwinkle walls of my room.

Back at home, I put my cactus front and center on my dresser. I was so pleased to see my new plant in its home, but I soon realized that taking care of a cactus was harder than I had thought. My supposedly un-killable plant required a lot more attention than anticipated. Sure, they’re tough, but I still had to water it (not very often) and move it into the sun (very often).

Cacti have a long evolutionary history spanning millions of years that have allowed them to survive in harsh environments, such as my dresser. Everything about them, from their lack of leaves, to their spines and succulent stems, are specifically designed to withstand extreme temperatures and long periods without rain. These adaptations came about out of necessity. With their drastically changing environment, new traits needed to evolve for them to survive.

There are some parallels between the survival story of the cactus and that of my own. Like the cactus, I found myself adapting to many big changes in my life. When I was caring for my cactus, I was recovering from back surgery that left me not only in pain, but struggling to adjust to a world without the sports I had played throughout my childhood.

But I adapted to these changes. Instead of the rough-and-tumble sport of soccer, I began swimming in the water that is so essential for all life on Earth. I couldn’t swim competitively, but I could still glide through the water with relative ease, which was reassuring to me after I had struggled to learn to walk with the newly placed metal rods in my back that weighed so heavily on me.

At this time too, college was looming closer, and some days, I felt alone, much like how I imagine the cactus in a desolate desert. Many of my friends were deciding on in-state colleges, but I wanted to go farther away. I was choosing to leave many friends and my home behind in favor of a new adventure. This move was challenging at first, but like the cactus, I adapted and stood tall.

Despite the problems I eventually overcame, I still struggled — which is where the story of my cactus picks up. There were many times when my days seemed gray and gloomy due to depression that has plagued me for years. It was these times that I was glad I opted for the cactus with bright yellow flowers. I simply had to look at them to find a bright yellow sun smiling back at me. I found myself watering the cactus, patiently waiting for the flowers to open to their fullest. I would move the plant from my dresser to the windowsill and back again, so I could give it as much sunlight as it could take.

It was then that I realized, why am I providing so much love and care to my cactus but not to myself? I made sure my cactus got enough sunlight, but was I leaving my house to embrace the warm sunlight humans need too? I was watering my cactus when needed, but was I drinking enough water? And most importantly, I was patiently waiting for my cactus to bloom, but was I being patient with myself? I realized the answer to these questions was no, I was not giving myself the care I needed to grow and thrive like I was to my cactus.

After this realization, I decided to change, adapt, and better myself to give myself the best chance of growing and prospering. This is how I was able to overcome even the toughest of challenges, much like cacti. I knew cacti were tough, they’ve had millions of years to evolve to be able to survive in some of the harshest environments on earth, but I had finally realized I was tough too.

Julia Ajello studies biology at the College of Wooster in Ohio with the goal of becoming a medical doctor. Though she studies a lot, Julia still finds time to indulge in both her love of and fascination with plants, as well as spending time outdoors and with friends.