Tag: ethnobotany
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Silver Birch: A Tree of Disturbance and Renewal
by Nicolette L. Cagle, Ph.D., April 13, 2026 In the last several posts, I’ve explored the dry woodlands and steppe-edge habitats of Central Europe, where trees grow in bright light and on poor soils impacted by disturbance. After turning to Scots Pine, I arrive at another characteristic species of these transitional places: Silver Birch (Betula…
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Black Poplar: The Fast-Growing Pioneer of Central Europe’s Floodplains
by Nicolette L. Cagle, Ph.D., April 13, 2026 In recent posts, I have been exploring the dynamic floodplain forests found along the iconic Danube, Morava, and Tisza Rivers, including the resilient, rooted, and red-hued Black Alder. But Black Alder is not alone in its ability to live with instability. It is joined by Black Poplar,…
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Black Alder: The Rooted, Red Tree of Central Europe’s Floodplain Forests
by Nicolette L. Cagle, Ph.D., April 12, 2026 In the last post, I introduced another forested ecosystem in the Central European tree series: the dynamic floodplain forests found along the iconic Danube, Morava, and Tisza Rivers. These systems are home to survivors, plants that stand firm in shifting sands and along muddy banks, including the…
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Little-leaf Linden: A Tree of Pollinators and Poetry in Central Europe
by Nicolette L. Cagle, Ph.D., April 10, 2026 In the last several posts, I’ve been moving through the characteristic trees of Central Europe’s Broadleaf Forests, beginning with Pedunculate Oak, Sessile Oak, and European Hornbeam. Here, I turn to a tree that provides a different kind of presence in those forests: Little-leaf Linden (Tilia cordata). While…
Sense of Place 