How to Read a Tree

“The Sherlock Holmes of Nature”—BBC


“Reams of appealing facts make one itch to get outside and right up close to trees’ rough surfaces and shady cover.”—The Atlantic

Open your eyes to the secret language of trees

Trees tell a story, but only to those who know how to read it. They hold secrets about the land, the water, the people, the animals, the weather, time—and their own lives, the good and bad. 

In How to Read a Tree, Gooley uncovers the clues hiding in plain sight: in a tree’s branches and leaves; its bark, buds, and flowers; even its stump. Leaves with a pale, central streak mean that water is nearby. Young, low-growing branches show that a tree is struggling. And reddish or purple bark signals new growth. Like snowflakes, no two trees are exactly the same. Every difference reveals the epic story this tree has lived—if we stop to look closely.