The Fairy Tree

          One of my favorite experiences at the Enchanted Forest has been daily visitations from this beautiful big yellow and black butterfly, which may be a western tiger, but I don’t really know how to identify it other than calling it “part of the magic.” Everyone who has seen the film Patch Adams remembers the scene where Patch questions g-d when his love Carin dies and this butterfly emerges, giving him hope.  Even as a non-believer, I do agree it was a moving scene.  However, I prefer the scene earlier in the movie where Carin tells Patch that she envies the caterpillar, who can hid in a cocoon and come out flying.  It reminds me more of my own life.  I have posted the scene under Videos if you want to view it. 

          I have recently learned that the reason this gorgeous butterfly frequents the forest may be because of a tree we have called the Albizia Julibrissin.  Butterflies consume its nectar. 

          The Albizia Juilbrissin is commonly referred to as a Persian silk tree and some people call it a mimosa.  Yeah, a mimosa…I call my Champaign and orange juice brunch drinks mimosas!  Side note-a mimosa is the ONLY thing Champaign is really good for.  Anyway…I call the tree the “Fairy Tree.” It is a fairy tree because it produces these magical fluffy pink flowers.

          Interestingly, most plant and garden websites refer to this tree as an invasive species like a weed!  There are many websites that have information on how to kill them.  Whatttttt??? This tree is so pretty!  The flowers look like fairies or powder puffs and cover the whole tree.  The leaves are lacy, fern-like and delicate.  

          Besides its beauty, I read that this tree has several practical usages such making yummy sauces out of the seeds.  They are supposed to smell really good in the spring.  The bark may have some skin healing properties and the ability to treat tapeworm.  I hope I never have a chance to verify this, actually!

          This tree is native in Asia and was introduced in Italy.  The guy who introduced it was Filippo degi Albizzia who was a famous naturalist.  After the tree became popular in Europe in the 1700s, it was brought to the US in 1745.  I don’t know how it got in the Enchanted Forest, but it sure makes a lovely addition.
Disclaimer:  Tree info was obtained from Wikipedia, check link list for more.  All tree photos are from random internet image searches. 

Fruit Trees of the Forest

Neighborhood Tree Planning

          We decided to go to the Phoenix Historic Preservation Office to see what we could learn about the neighborhood.  There are some very cool people who work there who let us look at copies of actual plans for the Resettlement Program.  A lot of these plans are hand written and some of them had actual cut-and-paste (meaning the kind with scissors and glue) that showed what type of property went where. More about these plans later.

          Along with neighborhood and house plans, we found that even the trees were planned.  It is hard to see in this picture, but if you look at the circles, they represent types of trees in the neighborhood.

Planting List

          After researching the types of trees, we learned some of the original trees are still in the neighborhood and also in the Enchanted Forest.    

Nettle Tree

          The first tree on the list is the Celtis Australis, or Nettle Tree. The tree may be considered sacred in Iran.  I am guessing that it has this status because it bears edible fruits and treats heavy menstrual bleeding.  It has a lot of uses and we have a lot of these trees in the forest.   I was mistakenly calling them china berry trees.  The fruit is all over the ground and I was bummed because I thought we couldn’t do anything.  Jacques thought we could burn the dried fruit, but now we know we can eat it! 

Carob Pods

          Now one particular tree we had sliced our skin as we were trimming it back.  It has tons of tiny razor thorns!  The male trees actually smell like semen (I didn’t make that up – I got that info from Wikipedia!) I wanted nothing more than to stay far away from the Ceratonia Siliqua….until….I found out it is a carob tree!  AKA chocolate – woo hoo!!!  I am looking forward how to use the pods to make some tasty treats.

Arizona Ash

          Another tree on the list is the Fraxinus Velutina, or Arizona Ash.  I don’t think these produce anything, but these trees are very pretty and the new shoots have a velvety coating.  

          The tree I want to find is the Platanus Orientalis, or Oriental Plane.  They have fuzzy Dr. Suess-looking-balls on them.  It sounds like a really cool tree because historically, they were used in Hindu holy places and supposedly planted by mystics.  Additionally, in Greece they consider the tree the Tree of Hippocrates.  The Athenian Academy also had a grove of them.  

Oriental Plane

         The last tree on the list is the Schinus Molle, or Pepper Tree.  This is not the pepper that you sprinkle next to your salt, but rather it bears pink or red berries that are typically blended with table pepper.  It supposedly has antibacterial and antiseptic properties and can be used as an antidepressant.  I haven’t actually found this tree either, but it would be interesting to learn how to use its fruit.  

Pepper Tree

          Along with the trees on the list, we have a massive amount of fig trees, which are putting forth some amazingly yummy fruit right now, a ton of pomegranate trees, which are getting ready to produce ripened fruit, a HUGE pecan tree, a grapefruit tree that produces fruit that tastes as sweet as an orange, and orange trees that produce fruit that are more sour than lemons!  Apparently they are marmalade oranges, so we will have to learn how to make that yummy stuff to share very soon.

Disclaimer:  Tree info was obtained from Wikipedia, check link list for more.  All tree photos are from random internet image searches.  Archive photos are ours.