Love a Tree Day

May 16th is Love a Tree Day, so take the opportunity to teach your children the importance of these natural wonders and their effect on our environment.

National Love Tree Day is celebrated every year on May 16th and it happens right in the middle of the Garden for Wildlife Month. Did you know trees really didn't exist in the first 90% of Earth's history? Shocking, isn't it? Before there were trees, our Earth had mushrooms that were 26 feet tall and like trees. Trees have played an irreplaceable role in the smooth running of our environment, and celebrating their special day is the least we can do to appreciate them.

History of Love a Tree Day

Trees can be thousands or thousands of years old with many species having a long lifespan. In fact, trees can be traced back to the creation of the world, according to the Bible and the story of Adam and Eve, who ate the fruit of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

From well-preserved cellular anatomy, it has been discovered that Cladoxylopsida was the first large tree to appear on Earth nearly 400 million years ago during the Devonian period. The other earliest known trees are ferns, horsetails, and lycophytes, and currently, there are an estimated three trillion mature trees in the world.

Trees have so many benefits - they provide us with wood, food, nuts, oxygen to breathe, a home for wildlife and much more. The tree is even used for ornamental and decorative purposes. In the United States, there are about 766 million acres of forest.

Plants are an essential part of our environment and over the years their importance has been taught to children as they grow up. In recent times, individuals are so conscious that a sustainable lifestyle to protect our trees has become the norm. Most people nowadays want to protect and preserve our trees, which makes the world a better and safer place to live.

While the hunt to find the source of this day continues, at least we can do a whole day to pay tribute to the trees that have given us so much.

Some interesting truths about trees

• The oldest tree

A stiff pine named Methuselah has lived for more than 4,800 years and is older than the Egyptian Pyramids.

• Astronaut

Plants were transported into space when plant seeds were carried by the Apollo 14 astronauts.

• They save you money

Having the shade of mature trees near the house can actually help reduce indoor cooling bills by about 20% in the summer.

• Trees can communicate

It was discovered that plants begin to produce chemicals called phenolics when they detect an insect attack, which acts as a signal to other plants.

• The tree is very thirsty

An average tree can drink up to nearly 530 gallons of water annually.

Some reasons for Love a Tree Day being loved

• Trees keep our streets and houses cooler

Urban areas can heat up significantly and even more so in the summer. The shade and water vapor provided by trees can keep urban areas much cooler. Love a Tree Day is a perfect opportunity to acknowledge the importance of this green coating.

• It helps to reconnect with the Earth

Planting trees or simply tending to existing ones can evoke feelings of belonging to nature. Trees are, after all, and spending time with them can help you reconnect with the Earth. Love a Tree Day can be a good place to start if you feel disconnected from nature and life outside of your routine.

• Trees are habitats for wildlife

Of course, we know that a lot of animals live in the forest and need trees to survive. Trees are home to a variety of birds, insects, and mammals. A simple tree can also contain hundreds or thousands of small creatures such as snakes, frogs, vampires, ants, termites, spiders, etc. Love a Tree Day helps us to appreciate beauties. This is basically home to a lot of creatures.

How to celebrate Love a Tree Day

• Read under the tree.

The weather is warm and sunny; most of the trees have grown enough leaves to create shade. Let go outside, take a short walk and find a shady tree. Explain the wonderful gifts that trees give nature, and invite the little ones to sit under the tree with you and read a book. A niche and universal favorite is The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Listen to the wind rustling leaves to support peaceful sounds that calm you.

• Give the plant a cool drink.

Explain to your child that just like people, plants are thirsty for water. Fill a small bucket or watering can, and take it out to the nearest park or a tree in your yard so your kids can water their new friend. The soil should be saturated around the plant. Make sure that you both water very slowly to make sure the water penetrates deep into the roots.

• Make a gift for the tree tenants.

Trees provide cool places for people to sit and play. Ask your child to name animals that plants can use as their home or food source. Think of the many birds your tree attracts with its tall branches. You can use a kit to build an aviary together, or fill a bird feeder with seeds and hang it on a low branch.

• Plant a tree

Do a family activity in addition to picking saplings, choosing mulch, choosing the best spot for a new addition to your garden, and fertilizing it with a healthy dose of fertilizer. Trees are useful in the air temperature reduction by blocking sunlight. Thus, as a natural air conditioner, evaporation from a single tree can produce the cooling effect of 10 room-sized air conditioners that run 20 hours a day, as noted by North Carolina State University. A healthy tree can store 13 pounds of carbon annually, which helps offset the buildup of carbon dioxide in the air and reduces the "greenhouse effect." The American Forestry Association estimates that 100 million new trees have the capacity to absorb 18 million tons of carbon dioxide. When explaining this to young children, help them understand that trees help our earth live longer.

• Recycling!

This is the perfect time to teach your kids about the benefits of recycling paper, plastic and glass. Make a bin for each type of recycling. Let the kids decorate them with pictures of what will go inside. The crates serve as a great reminder, when remembering what's going to happen where can be a little intimidating for your child at first. Plot a target chart above each bin to try and see how much you recycled in a week.

Love a Tree Day is just one reason to celebrate the many great benefits that trees bring to us and the environment in which we live. How about making this special day become a memorable time for your family. Take photos on the go and cherish them for years to come.