The yellowing leaves of the cottonwood might be sounding the fall alarm. But the sensuous evergreen magnolia reminds us it’s still summer in the city. Along sidewalks and in parks, this ancient tree beckons us to stop and smell the flowers in summer’s remaining glow. While we do, we might wonder why magnolias evolved to have tough carpels and thick sepals. For the answer, we must go back 95 million years, which is how long this tree and its main pollinator–the beetle–have been around. The magnolia developed thick carpels to withstand the insect’s mandibles. They open their sepals in the morning to attract beetles and close them in the evening to trap this ancient collaborator, avoiding self-pollination, increasing successful pollination, and spreading fresh pollen. Through both its fragrant flowers and capacious canopy, which can spread 50 feet in some species, this tree reminds us to take it slow. We hope you will, in summer’s remaining days, under the shade of a city tree. If you see us at a street fair, come play our pollinator matching game and take a Nature Explorers How Seeds Travel zine home to learn how the magnolia and other plants spread their seeds! 

If you planted a tree last year, it’s time to remove stakes and tags, and time to surround it with a mulch donut (don’t touch its base) and quench its thirst! We provide FREE watering bags at our Community Hub office. Come get one during Open Hours! Learn how to mulch here, and how to water here. Please share these resources with your neighbors! 

Work Party

On July 31st, our friends from Puget Sound Partnership joined Planting Coordinator Fulton Bryant-Anderson, at our Plant Holding Facility for a staff retreat and work party, where we weeded and cared for our tree stock under the bight summer sun. We’re so grateful for local organizations and their contributions to supporting our work by attending small work parties or planting events.

Greenery Prints

On August 12, as part of the Tacoma Public Library’s Summer Reads program, we offered a multigenerational event where we combined science and art to support local tree appreciation and access to science education. While TTF Board Member Zay Montejano offered a presentation on native Tacoma tree ID and Plant Awareness Disparity (PAD), parents and children created botanical prints with the assistance of Eden Standley (Outreach Specialist) and Board Member Jean Jensen. Presentation attendees joined the creative fun, too, and everyone took home a print and a few tools to identify the trees in their neighborhood.

NATURE EXPLORERS UPDATE

We’re excited to announce that, thanks to the support of Tacoma Creates, we’re expanding our Youth Education Program to include quarterly hands-on workshops and science-based walks. These events will allow parents to drop off their kids or join in the fun. Through this programming we’re excited to provide free ways for local youth, ages 0-18, to connect with the urban forest through science, culture, and the arts. Learn about and register for our first two events below!

UPCOMING EVENTS

WHAT WE’RE READING

TTF TUMBLER