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The Cockspur Hawthorn

Cockspur hawthorn with berries in winter

There is a small tree, a cockspur hawthorn, in a yard not far from my house. I drive by it every time I go shopping. It lost its leaves late last fall. Its thin bare branches are taking time to rest until they flourish again in the spring.

 

Though the tree has no leaves, it does have several clusters of small reddish brown berries that still cling to the branches. They look determined to hang on. It may be easier for them to keep their grip because this winter has been drier and warmer than normal. Even the wind has not dislodged the berries.

 

Trees have their own trials, just like we do. And just like trees, we sometimes struggle through tough times. I'm amazed that when I look back at those difficult times, the memories don't seem quite so bad. It's as though time took a paintbrush and used gentle brush strokes to soften those memories.

 

I remember the image of the paintbrush when I experience moments that are painful, exasperating, or sorrowful. If I can make it through those tough times, things usually get better.

 

I often use my Picture This app to learn the identity of trees, bushes and flowers. It's a great app to have if you want to learn more about nature around you. When I took a picture of the cockspur hawthorn tree, the app gave me its name and told me it looked like it wasn't in the best of health.

 

Last summer if I'd taken a picture of the tree, those berries would have looked radiantly healthy. It's those radiantly healthy times that we tend to take for granted. It's only when we get sick or have aches and pains or experience a deep loss or disappointment that we wonder if we have the strength and tenacity to hang on. Once we get better, once the aches and pains lessen and the sorrows fade, we start to feel stronger and more hopeful again.

 

When I drive by the cockspur hawthorn tree, I remember that before too long it will be sprouting new leaves and growing new berries in springtime. On days when I feel less than my best, I remember that if I give myself time to rest, soon I will feel better too.

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App that Identifies Trees

White spruce tree in my yard

This week a friend showed me an app that identifies trees, birds, weeds, insects and several other things, among them allergen identification, tree ring identity, and plants that are toxic to pets.

 

What a find! It's called Picture This, and I have never been so excited about an app. Many times, I have seen a tree that I couldn't identify. With this app, I take a picture of the tree, and in a few seconds it identifies it.

 

Just this afternoon, I took a picture of a tree in my front yard that I have been calling a spruce. Now I know it is a white spruce, or Picea Glauca. A lovely spreading tree in my neighbor's yard across the street has always intrigued me. I had no idea what it was until I took a picture of it with my new Picture This app. It is a white mulberry, or Morusalba.

 

My next door neighbor has a beautiful tree that I have always enjoyed seeing. Now I know it is called an oriental arborvitae, or Platycladus Orientalis.

 

I am grateful that my friend, a ping pong buddy, told me about this amazing app. We were playing ping pong at a local church Tuesday morning because the city recreation center where we usually play was being painted. During a short break, I looked outside one of the glass side doors and saw a bush I did not recognize. I asked my friend if he knew what it was.

 

He didn't, but he said he could find out. He opened the Picture This app on his cell phone and snapped a photo of the bush. In just a second or two the app identified the bush as a weeping forsythia. I was hooked! I downloaded the app, which has a seven-day free trial. The annual charge is $29.99, and it is worth every penny to me.

 

I am ecstatic! If I could turn cartwheels, I would be turning them in glorious glee. I have only run across one tree that the app couldn't identify. It is an unusual looking tree that grows in my next door neighbor's yard. When I took a picture of the tall, gracefully shaped tree, the app told me the connection was not good enough to identify it. I may take a picture of the tree again sometime tomorrow to see if the app can identify it then.

 

Now I have an easy-to-use tool in the palm of my hand that identifies trees for me. I am giddy with delight! I am totally mesmerized by an app that one or more people developed to do what I have been wanting for so long!! Many thanks to those creative, innovative people who have come up with the perfect product for me.

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