February is the time to celebrate love and all its glory. Trees have played a prominent role in mythology when it comes to love, either heartwarming or morbid.
In Greek mythology, the nymph Daphne turned into a laurel tree when fleeing through the forest to escape the advances of Apollo. Lotus, another nymph who fled from unwanted advances, became the lotus tree. Other transformations symbolized eternal love. In a Greek myth, the gods turned Baucis and Philemon, a devoted old couple, into an oak and a linden tree when they died. And in Japan, it is believed that two pine trees growing close together are faithful lovers.
On the morbid side, there is the Latin myth of Pyramus and Thisbe, who grew up in adjoining houses in Babylon. They fell in love but their parents would not allow them to marry. After many nights of whispering through a crack in the garden wall, they decided to slip away together. They agreed to meet at a well-known place, the Tomb of Ninus, under a tall mulberry tree full of white berries. Thisbe arrived first, but was frightened away by a lioness, which mauled with its bloody jaws, the cloak that Thisbe had dropped. A few minutes later Pyramus appeared and saw the cloak. He concluded that Thisbe was dead and that he was responsible. He lifted up the cloak, kissed it, and carried it to the mulberry tree. He drew his sword and plunged it into his side. His blood changed the blooms and fruit of the tree from white to purple.
Thisbe returned, hoping that the lioness was gone and longing to see Pyramus. Discovering Pyramus’ body, she kissed him, begging him to look at her. At the sound of her voice he opened his heavy eyes, then died. She killed herself with the same sword. The ashes of the unfortunate pair were placed in the same urn. Mulberry trees continue to produce deep red fruit, a memorial of the two lovers.
Happy Valentines Day!
Marie Stadther’s life in Coachella Valley was void of trees. In 2001, she packed up and headed north. After a drive through the majestic redwoods, she arrived in Redding, where she immersed herself in horticulture as owner of her own landscaping company and as assistant to an arborist. She is now the lead gardener for Turtle Bay’s McConnell Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. Her love of trees is a way of life, and she shares that passion with the community. Send the Tree Goddess your questions at mstadther@turtlebay.org.
