05/24/2024
Hiya, Rangers! Welcome to this week’s Tree Talk Thursday with me, your host! Ty the Tree here, and it is a pleasure to meet all of you. Today, I want to share one of the most important tree stories of them all—my tree story!
The Tale of Ty the Oak Tree
It all started over 100 years ago. I know, I know that sounds like a long, long time, but believe it or not, I wasn’t always this tall. Over one hundred years ago, I was just a tiny acorn. (Imagine me as a little acorn—aren’t I cute?)
Being a seed wasn’t easy. After I fell off the branch I had grown on, a squirrel picked me up in its mouth. I thought he was going to eat me and that I would never have a chance to grow!
But guess what? That squirrel had a totally different plan. He buried me in the soil, and that was just what I needed to start my journey.
In no time at all, I began to grow roots that cracked through my shell. My roots held tightly to the soil and started drinking up water. Next, I grew a little ‘ole stem to send that water up to my brand new leaves and help me stand tall.
Today, my stem—or trunk—is mighty big, but when I was just a year old, it was pretty small.
Well, nobody stepped on me, and nothing ate me, so I grew and grew and grew. My shiny new leaves were busy breathing in air and soaking up sunlight, and boy, did it feel good!
It took me a long time to grow this tall. Each spring, I grew more stems and new leaves. But I couldn't have done it without the Four Plant Gifts: soil, water, air, and sun. Luckily, there were always plenty of these gifts around.
Now, many of my children are growing in the grasses right around me. Most are only a few feet high. You see, every year I grow flowers that you probably never even notice. Each flower becomes a seed that, in my case, is an acorn. Some of my acorns are lucky enough to begin growing into trees just like me.
All around you in the woodland are young plants trying to grow. It would be really great if each of you helped them out a bit by giving them the Four Gifts or plant needs: soil, water, air, and sun. Maybe with a little bit of help, they'll grow up to Ty the Oak Trees too!
Tune in next week and have fun out there Rangers!
