How to Read a Tree: Clues and Patterns from Bark to Leaves

"The Sherlock Holmes of Nature"-BBC

Trees tell a story, but only to those who know how to read it. They hold secrets about the land, the water, the people, the animals, the weather, time-and their own lives, the good and bad.

In How to Read a Tree, Gooley uncovers the clues hiding in plain sight: in a tree's branches and leaves; its bark, buds, and flowers; even its stump. Leaves with a pale, central streak mean that water is nearby. Young, low-growing branches show that a tree is struggling. And reddish or purple bark signals new growth. Like snowflakes, no two trees are exactly the same. Every difference reveals the epic story this tree has lived-if we stop to look closely.