The Finest

The white oak embodies the pinnacle of woodland evolution from its origins as a meadow in the northern temperate zone of North America's Eastern woodlands. It is the finest hardwood, the slowest growing yet the sturdiest. It produces acorns only once every three years. You will not find groves of these trees like you would other species, as its rarer and less acidic fruit is eagerly devoured. It grows tall, straight and well-anchored. It is the friend of squirrels, birds and deer for food and shielding. Its leaves are round-lobed and medium-sized, and they turn a golden white to pale butterscotch color in the fall. The bark is very finely grooved. They were prized for ship's masts on the clipper ships. When you enter a place where these trees grow, you enter a world of natural venerability and serenity. The finer things in life are not always what are called the "greatest". The more refined are the things that invite you to see and listen and think carefully, and the reward for the soul is treble that of the things that are more immediately apprehended for more spectacular or imposing qualities. This is the tree for the American druid, and all the things that relationally go with it are its family. Here is a real grandfather tree in the woodland, or one in the making. Behold it, protect it, nurture it, and sit beneath it (whether be it young or old) and enjoy its animistic presence.