EUROPEAN TREE OF THE YEAR, Part

EUROPEAN TREE OF THE YEAR, continued . . .

Following one from the previous post of Part 1 of the 2021 European Tree of the Year announcement, here are the further 7 nominees in ascending order until we reach the winner at No 1 . . .

Before posting those tree items, here is an email on point received from wordsmith Steve M after yesterday’s post . . .

 

No:	8
Country:	Australia
Tree:	Dunny
Species:	LavaTree
Age:	10 years
Votes:	1
Native to Australia, prolific in the Razorback area. A place to ponder life’s mysteries while you shit...

 

Thanks for that Steve.

Your eloquent words inspire me to verse as my contribution . . .

Steve’s Lava Tree’s quite a hit,

He gives not a singular whit,

About weeing or crapping,

Or peeing or napping,

He goes there to ponder and sit

 

No:	7
Country:	Czech Republic
Tree:	Apple tree near Lidmans
Species:	Apple tree
Age:	70 years
Votes:	32,028
The apple tree in the garden of the Lidman pub in Machovská Lhota quietly witnesses the stories of the people. It provides shade in the summer and fruits in the autumn. Not only to locals but also to visitors who came for the beauty of the Table Mountains and nature found on the Czech-Polish border. She has witnessed the birth of many loves, first meetings, weddings, festivities as well as sad events. The tree is a part of local life. For those in the Czech countryside, fruit trees are a symbol of tradition, because many people have apple trees in their gardens and harvest the fruit for strudel, juice or apple cider. However, the apple tree near Lidman is also a truly European tree, as evidenced by the fact that this variety Reneta blenheim was bred at the birthplace of Winston Churchill.

 

 

 

No:	6
Country:	The Netherlands
Tree:	The ancient Mother Tree
Species:	Linden Tree
Age:	345 trees
Votes:	34,244
The Mother Tree, a pearl in the heart of a vivid town. As a symbol for gathering and meeting The Mother Tree on the market square of Etten-Leur has been part of society for 345 years. Wear, tear and lots of attention through the ages gave it its striking appearance. Rooted in the heart of people, this linden tree is a silent witness to 1001 stories, emotions and events. Arguments were settled and young love blossomed under its long branches. It even inspired the later world famous painter Vincent van Gogh. Everyone, of any age, loves this green pearl!

 

No:	5
Country:	Poland
Tree:	Saint Jan Nepomucen’s Linden
Species:	Linden Tree
Age:	150 – 170 years
Votes:	35,422
According to an ancient Polish custom a linden would be planted when a daughter was born. This is how our linden was planted 170 years ago or maybe was it on birds’ merit? The tree is standing at the verge of the village close to the fields. Nothing was standing in her way thus she grew her branches wide (25 m). She became a benefactress giving shadow to those who worked in the field, a place to rest for trekkers and nectar for the bees. The shrine of saint Jan Nepomucen standing close by has given an air of magic to the place. Its unusual beauty surprises and inspires admiration for nature’s power. There is no other linden tree like this!

 

No:	4
Country:	Portugal
Tree:	Plane Tree of Rossio
Species:	London Plane Tree
Age:	182 years
Votes:	37,410
Planted in 1838, it’s the largest in the Iberian Peninsula. Majestic in size, its trunk has a perimeter of 7 m, and its treetop has a diameter of 37 m. It’s Portalegre’s ex-libris. It houses, in its long and sturdy branches, years and years of collective memories and endless secrets. It has been a place of meetings, the birthplace of clubs, associations and brass bands. This Plane continues, with great resilience, to amaze admirers, listening to lonely confessions and inspiring artists.

 

 

No:	3
Country:	Russian Federation
Tree:	Ancient Sycamore Tree
Species:	East Sycamore Tree
Age:	284 years
Votes:	66,026
The ancient sycamore tree - a witness of history, the guardian of the mosque. The Ancient East is full of secrets and legends. According to a legend, the great commander of the East, Nadir-shah, looked after the sprouts of the sycamore tree that adorned the territory of the Juma mosque in ancient Derbent. Admiring the mighty giant the writer, Aleksandr Bestuzhev-Marlinsky, composed his works. Today the majestic patriarch adorns the central part of the house of worship, being a symbol of power, one of the places of attraction for the people of Dagestan and guests of the Republic. They create legends about it, poetize it, and depict it in paintings.

 

No:	2
Country:	Italy
Tree:	The thousand-year-old plane tree of Curinga
Species:	Plane Tree
Age:	1,000 years
Votes:	78,210
The Curinga plane tree is located in a very unusual position: overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, it juts out over a small stream. From the height of its majesty, this "guardian" seems to lovingly watch over the forest. It is thought to be planted by Basilian monks who arrived in Calabria more than a thousand years ago and that built the hermitage of Sant'Elia, but its trunk may be even older. Its trunk is completely hollow and has an opening more than 3 metres wide; whoever enters it has the feeling of being inside an incredible woody cave. Thanks to the huge size of its circumference it is now the largest plane tree in Italy.

 

 

No:	1
Country:	Spain
Tree:	The Millennial Carrasca of Lecina
Species:	Holm Oak
Age:	1.000 years
Votes:	104,264
The tree of witches Legend tells of the times when witches populated the Guara Mountains's, where they danced and celebrated around the holm oak. A thousand years later, its this union with people that continues to be the cause for why the holm oak still stands in the small town of Alto Aragón with only 13 inhabitants. The neighbors chose it and continue to choose it for their celebrations. It is surprising because of its proximity to the houses whilst being such an old tree and yet it is so alive; the secret will surely be the care and company of Lecina's neighbors and those witches.