by Mark Roberts | May 17, 2026 | Nature, Trees
The loss of Dunedin’s oldest living resident A mighty mataī has fallen in the forest of Tāne. In the early hours of February 19, the Old Mataī of Glenfalloch Gardens laid herself gently down onto the forest floor, ending a vigil of more than a thousand years. She was,...
by Mark Roberts | Nov 20, 2024 | Nature, Trees
Trees symbolize strength, life, and continuity. They are perfect memorials for those we hold dear or events we wish to remember. As a result, an entire industry is dedicated to planting trees for remembrance. As clever marketing goes, the concept has been borrowed...
by Mark Roberts | Oct 15, 2024 | Nature, selective attention, Trees
For quite some time I despaired at the public’s lack of knowledge of trees. I failed to understand why they couldn’t tell one tree from the other. Just the common ones, I didn’t want everyone to be a closet dendrologist. I felt that it was reasonable for most people...
by robertsandtrees | Sep 17, 2024 | Nature, Trees
Botanical Provenance; Culture and origin Provenance (prɒv(ə)nəns) noun: the place of origin or earliest known history of something. With provenance comes authenticity, you know what it is, where it came from and where it’s been. When choosing plants it is important to...
by Mark Roberts | Mar 12, 2023 | Nature, Trees
There is a tree that I drive past on my way to work. I call it my tree, but that’s a stretch and calling it a tree isn’t much better. A green blob would be a more accurate description – a blob maybe 4m tall, khaki in colour with a crusty beige brown trunk. Hardly a...
by Mark Roberts | Sep 7, 2021 | Nature, Trees
As you read this you are probably sitting in a room that is hollow; a building with walls and empty internal spaces, rooms. You could be in your work vehicle; a hollow structure with outside walls and an inside space, the cab. You may well be drinking from a cup, can...
