American basswood · Tilia americana
American Basswood
- Connection
- Generosity
- Reciprocity
Notice the life around a tree. Consider what you receive and what you can offer.
The Tree Library
Get to know
a living tree.
Each tree offers a new way into the practice. Begin with observation, explore its character, and bring one teaching into your day.
Find a tree for your practice.
Search a common or scientific name, choose a region or practice, or begin with something you can see.
Browse as
84 trees to explore
Compare similar trees · photographic guides
American Elm · Ulmus americana
American Elm
- Shelter
- Spaciousness
- Belonging
Begin with one branch. Let your attention widen to include the life around it.
American Holly · Ilex opaca
American Holly
- Shelter
- Boundaries
- Care
Make room for shelter and a boundary that supports it.
American hophornbeam · Ostrya virginiana
American Hophornbeam
- Quiet Endurance
- Patience
- Attention
Notice a small tree's presence. Find a pace you can return to.
American hornbeam · Carpinus caroliniana
American Hornbeam
- Quiet Strength
- Attention
- Support
Follow one curve. Notice the support that lets you soften your effort.
American Persimmon · Diospyros virginiana
American Persimmon
- Patience
- Ripening
- Reciprocity
Allow readiness to arrive in its own time.
American yellowwood · Cladrastis kentukea
American Yellowwood
- Patience
- Attention
- Generosity
Let an ordinary detail be enough, whether or not the tree is in bloom.
Quaking aspen · Populus tremuloides
Aspen
- Sensitivity
- Connection
- Responsiveness
Watch what moves. Notice how you respond, with curiosity and room to choose.
Bald Cypress · Taxodium distichum
Bald Cypress
- Steadiness
- Adaptability
- Attention
Notice a steady form and a changing detail. Practice returning without holding the scene still.
Balsam fir · Abies balsamea
Balsam Fir
- Stillness
- Attention
- Gentleness
Allow a quiet encounter. Give one small detail your attention without asking it to change your mood.
American beech · Fagus grandifolia
Beech
- Presence
- Quiet confidence
- Simplicity
Stay with the ordinary detail. Let a few minutes of looking be enough.
Bigtooth aspen · Populus grandidentata
Bigtooth Aspen
- Renewal
- Connection
- Curiosity
Follow a leaf’s edge, then notice the wider woodland it belongs to.
Paper birch · Betula papyrifera
Birch
- Renewal
- Openness
- Beginnings
Look again. Let a familiar place become the beginning of a new encounter.
Bitternut Hickory · Carya cordiformis
Bitternut Hickory
- Patience
- Discernment
- Commitment
Look closely before deciding. Let understanding grow at its own pace.
Black cherry · Prunus serotina
Black Cherry
- Relationship
- Generosity
- Listening
Notice the life around one tree. Let your attention make room for another presence.
Black Locust · Robinia pseudoacacia
Black Locust
- Resilience
- Discernment
- Responsibility
Recognize persistence. Choose carefully where to direct it.
Black oak · Quercus velutina
Black Oak
- Resolve
- Patience
- Discernment
Look carefully before naming. Let a clear intention have time to develop.
Black spruce · Picea mariana
Black Spruce
- Patience
- Care
- Quiet Endurance
Notice a small, enduring detail while caring for the place that holds it.
Black walnut · Juglans nigra
Black Walnut
- Patience
- Long-term Growth
- Care
Look beyond today's result. Choose something worth tending over time.
Blackgum · Nyssa sylvatica
Blackgum
- Presence
- Patience
- Attentiveness
Stay with what is here. Let an ordinary detail earn your attention.
Boxelder · Acer negundo
Boxelder
- Flexibility
- Curiosity
- Renewal
Look again at something familiar. Let a different form widen your understanding.
Bur oak · Quercus macrocarpa
Bur Oak
- Endurance
- Spaciousness
- Support
Take in a wider view. Make room for an effort you can sustain.
Butternut · Juglans cinerea
Butternut
- Care
- Stewardship
- Connection
Notice one living neighbor. Let appreciation lead to one informed act of care.
Castor aralia · Kalopanax septemlobus
Castor Aralia
- Curiosity
- Discernment
- Boundaries
Look closely from a comfortable distance. Curiosity and care can grow together.
Northern white-cedar · Thuja occidentalis
Cedar
- Continuity
- Belonging
- Care
Notice what supports a life. Reflect on belonging through the care you receive and offer.
Chinkapin Oak · Quercus muehlenbergii
Chinkapin Oak
- Discernment
- Steadiness
- Curiosity
Look twice. Give one small detail enough attention to change your first impression.
Coast redwood · Sequoia sempervirens
Coast Redwood
- Connection
- Perspective
- Continuity
Follow one line into a wider world. Notice the conditions that help life continue.
Cucumber Magnolia · Magnolia acuminata
Cucumber Magnolia
- Curiosity
- Discovery
- Patience
Look for what is easy to miss. Let a quiet detail be enough.
Dawn redwood · Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Dawn Redwood
- Release
- Renewal
- Balance
Notice what this season holds. Let change have a place in continuity.
Douglas-fir · Pseudotsuga menziesii
Douglas-fir
- Discernment
- Resolve
- Perspective
Begin with one clear clue. Let a careful look strengthen your next step.
Eastern Cottonwood · Populus deltoides
Eastern Cottonwood
- Movement
- Change
- Grounding
Watch what moves. Notice what remains beneath it.
Eastern red pine · Pinus resinosa
Eastern Red Pine
- Steadiness
- Attention
- Continuity
Follow a steady line, then make room for the life around it.
Eastern Redbud · Cercis canadensis
Eastern Redbud
- Beginnings
- Joy
- Curiosity
Look for one seasonal detail. Give an emerging possibility your attention.
Eastern Redcedar · Juniperus virginiana
Eastern Redcedar
- Constancy
- Shelter
- Connection
Find a steady point within the shelter of a changing day.
Flowering Dogwood · Cornus florida
Flowering Dogwood
- Renewal
- Attention
- Appreciation
Notice the small center within a familiar display.
Giant sequoia · Sequoiadendron giganteum
Giant Sequoia
- Perspective
- Wonder
- Patience
Move between the immense and the small. Let both deserve your attention.
Green ash · Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Green Ash
- Adaptability
- Renewal
- Care
Notice the present conditions. Find one adjustment that helps you continue.
Common hackberry · Celtis occidentalis
Hackberry
- Resilience
- Care
- Connection
Notice texture and the life around it. Find one ordinary way to care.
Eastern hemlock · Tsuga canadensis
Hemlock
- Stillness
- Shelter
- Listening
Listen beneath the branches. Make room for nearby sounds and your own response.
Honeylocust · Gleditsia triacanthos
Honeylocust
- Spaciousness
- Discernment
- Balance
Let light and space guide a considered next step.
Jack pine · Pinus banksiana
Jack Pine
- Adaptability
- Individuality
- Patience
Let an irregular branch remind you that growth has more than one shape.
Katsura · Cercidiphyllum japonicum
Katsura
- Attention
- Change
- Appreciation
Notice what a season brings, without asking it to stay.
Kentucky Coffeetree · Gymnocladus dioicus
Kentucky Coffeetree
- Spaciousness
- Patience
- Rest
Notice the space between branches. Give an unfinished thing time to unfold.
Sugar maple · Acer saccharum
Maple
- Generosity
- Transformation
- Rhythm
Notice the season you are in. Explore what you offer, receive, and allow to change.
Northern Catalpa · Catalpa speciosa
Northern Catalpa
- Spaciousness
- Generosity
- Rest
Look at one broad leaf, then let your attention include the space around it.
White oak · Quercus alba
Oak
- Strength
- Steadiness
- Patience
Give growth time. Find a steady place from which you can respond to change.
Ohio Buckeye · Aesculus glabra
Ohio Buckeye
- Openness
- Discernment
- Renewal
Let an open leaf invite a little more room for attention.
Osage Orange · Maclura pomifera
Osage Orange
- Boundaries
- Resilience
- Care
Find a comfortable distance. Let a clear boundary make room for care.
Overcup Oak · Quercus lyrata
Overcup Oak
- Adaptability
- Shelter
- Patience
Notice what holds and protects, while making room for change.
Pacific madrone · Arbutus menziesii
Pacific Madrone
- Change
- Appreciation
- Release
Notice the surface as it changes. Leave the tree free to reveal its own season.
Pawpaw · Asimina triloba
Pawpaw
- Curiosity
- Discovery
- Wonder
Let one unfamiliar detail become an open question.
Pignut Hickory · Carya glabra
Pignut Hickory
- Steadiness
- Discernment
- Connection
Follow a line of leaflets and find a steadier rhythm of attention.
Pin oak · Quercus palustris
Pin Oak
- Structure
- Attention
- Clarity
Follow one branch. Find a clear direction within a complicated day.
Eastern white pine · Pinus strobus
Pine
- Constancy
- Clarity
- Perseverance
Return to one clear point. Notice what stays, what changes, and how you begin again.
Pitch Pine · Pinus rigida
Pitch Pine
- Resilience
- Renewal
- Belonging
Begin again from the place where you stand.
Ponderosa pine · Pinus ponderosa
Ponderosa Pine
- Steadiness
- Discernment
- Adaptability
Look at a changing surface. Find steadiness without asking every detail to stay the same.
Post Oak · Quercus stellata
Post Oak
- Endurance
- Simplicity
- Steadiness
Choose one small, repeatable act. Let enough be enough for today.
Red maple · Acer rubrum
Red Maple
- Adaptability
- Responsiveness
- Possibility
Meet the conditions you have. Notice how a small adjustment can open another way forward.
Red Mulberry · Morus rubra
Red Mulberry
- Generosity
- Reciprocity
- Attention
Notice what is offered, and what you can give in return.
Northern red oak · Quercus rubra
Red Oak
- Strength
- Spaciousness
- Stewardship
Find a steady center. Leave room for the many lives and possibilities around it.
River birch · Betula nigra
River Birch
- Adaptability
- Change
- Presence
Follow a changing surface. Make room for one useful adjustment.
Sassafras · Sassafras albidum
Sassafras
- Possibility
- Acceptance
- Curiosity
Make room for more than one shape. Notice a difference without needing to resolve it.
Scarlet Oak · Quercus coccinea
Scarlet Oak
- Change
- Release
- Patience
Notice a change without asking yourself to hurry it.
Shagbark hickory · Carya ovata
Shagbark Hickory
- Patience
- Continuity
- Care
Let the layers hold your attention. Give something worthwhile time to develop.
Shingle Oak · Quercus imbricaria
Shingle Oak
- Curiosity
- Shelter
- Continuity
Let an unexpected oak invite you to look beyond familiar outlines.
Shortleaf Pine · Pinus echinata
Shortleaf Pine
- Steadiness
- Renewal
- Perspective
Look through an evergreen crown and notice change within continuity.
Silver maple · Acer saccharinum
Silver Maple
- Perspective
- Adaptability
- Balance
Watch a familiar surface change. Allow another angle to add to what you know.
Slippery Elm · Ulmus rubra
Slippery Elm
- Gentleness
- Attention
- Care
Let a close look be gentle. You can notice texture without touching it.
Southern live oak · Quercus virginiana
Southern Live Oak
- Shelter
- Spaciousness
- Continuity
Make room beneath a wide view. Notice what shelter can mean today.
Southern Magnolia · Magnolia grandiflora
Southern Magnolia
- Presence
- Generosity
- Shelter
Meet one generous detail without needing to take it home.
Red spruce · Picea rubens
Spruce
- Resolve
- Aspiration
- Balance
Follow a direction without rushing. Bring a worthwhile aspiration back to a grounded next step.
Swamp white oak · Quercus bicolor
Swamp White Oak
- Adaptability
- Steadiness
- Perspective
Notice two sides of one leaf. Make room for a fuller view.
Sweetgum · Liquidambar styraciflua
Sweetgum
- Change
- Complexity
- Attention
Begin with one point. Let a complicated scene become something you can observe.
American sycamore · Platanus occidentalis
Sycamore
- Perspective
- Individuality
- Connection
Look at the pattern, then widen your view. Notice how a distinctive life belongs to a larger place.
Tamarack · Larix laricina
Tamarack
- Change
- Release
- Return
Notice what a season asks you to keep and what it asks you to let go. Leave room for another return.
Tulip tree · Liriodendron tulipifera
Tulip Tree
- Aspiration
- Perspective
- Wonder
Let a small detail widen your perspective. Give your next intention room to grow.
Western redcedar · Thuja plicata
Western Redcedar
- Care
- Attention
- Continuity
Follow a small overlapping pattern. Consider the care that makes continuity possible.
White Ash · Fraxinus americana
White Ash
- Appreciation
- Care
- Stewardship
Meet the tree as it is today. Let one close observation become a small act of care.
White spruce · Picea glauca
White Spruce
- Clarity
- Spaciousness
- Attention
Look between the needles. Let one small detail open a wider view.
Black willow · Salix nigra
Willow
- Flexibility
- Release
- Flow
Make room for a different response. Explore a softer approach without losing your footing.
Willow Oak · Quercus phellos
Willow Oak
- Presence
- Adaptability
- Generosity
Find the oak within the narrow leaf, and let small details widen your view.
Yellow birch · Betula alleghaniensis
Yellow Birch
- Continuity
- Renewal
- Curiosity
Let a closer look deepen what you know. Follow a small detail without needing to uncover everything.
The energies of different trees
Observe first. Let meaning grow.
Here, a tree’s “energy” is a contemplative way of exploring its character and your experience beside it. These new interpretations connect visible qualities with the book’s principles. They are invitations to reflect, rather than fixed meanings everyone must feel.