Our Tree, Senex, Has Died

[labingi]

At my request, our tenant checked on our old tree, Senex. This photo is a little hard to interpret, even if you know the tree, but the trunk, which was largely old and rotten burned out completely.



Senex was an old tree and certainly in its declining years, but I am very saddened by its passing. It has always been there, ever since I can remember. I'm glad that several years ago, I developed the habit of saying goodbye to our named trees on the morning I'd leave from a visit. We had six of them throughout my childhood. We lost Howgie to the oak fungus a few years ago. In this fire, we have lost Quercus Frater and Senex. I am hopeful that Quercus Maxima, Drus, and Phagos [edit: Phegos, my bad] have survived. Even so, we've now lost three of six. I used to think I might see one or maybe two of the die in my lifetime. Now, I feel there's a real chance I'll see them all gone in the next few years. This is not normal. This is climate crisis.

Goodbye, Senex, my grandparent.

Comments

[vilakins]

Requiescat in pace, Senex.

I love your tree names: old man, oak brother, great oak... and glutton! I hope the others survive in good health.

It's been the opposite here: we thought we'd moved to a sunny low-rainfall district after wet, humid Auckland, but everything that's normally brown in the centre of the country is unnervingly green, and local gardens have become overgrown jungles.

[labingi]

Very weird. I've heard that NZ is less impacted by climate change than many places, but I guess it's getting everywhere.

My class just read a study about climate change beliefs in NZ. It was actually more like America than I would have thought, with a surprising number of "undecided" [as to whether climate change is happening] (about 1/3?). The study was from 2015, and I bet these numbers are changing fast. The most interesting finding of the study--and one the researchers didn't mention at all in their discussion--people who scored highest in "honesty/humility" were more likely to be climate skeptics. Hm.

[vilakins]

That's a strange correlation! I thought it would be right-wing arrogance.

In general we haven't seen much change, possibly because we're surrounded by ocean, but in the last year, since November in fact, it's been wet, wet, wet. We get the occasional gorgeous day but, like Auckland was, we rarely get several in a row. The wet year may just be a normal variation, but who knows with weather being so complex and interconnected.

It's not as good as it might seem for areas that have evolved dry-climate plants.

[labingi]

I imagine that whatever NZ may gain in terms of relatively small direct climate impacts it loses in having a very delicate ecosystem to start with. I can only say I hope things will muddle along for the foreseeable future.

BTW, "Phegos" (oak): this is what I get for being part of my family's oral culture. My parents are the ones who read Homer, alas for me.

[vilakins]

Ha, I read it as Phagos!

My father was a classics scholar who knew Latin (which he taught me) and Greek. (When he died, a lot of Greeks came to the funeral and it turned out that he used to go down to the hall where they met for Orthodox services and chat to them in ancient Greek when they came out - and they understood each other pretty well!) He had a lot of Greek and Roman legends, stories, and mythology in his study, and I devoured them. I had no idea how to say the names though; it was 'you-lie-seas', penny-lope', 'menny-louse' etc.

[labingi]

Oh, you read it correctly. I got it wrong.

It sounds like you had a great classical background with your father. I got a good background with my parents too, though I'm sadly aware that I'll never pick up the expertise they've had. (I also had Latin but no Greek to speak of.) And I'm passing down woefully little to my kids, even of the basic mythology. We just don't have the time or time away from distracting Netflix media. My parents used to do prayers to the gods in Greek over our barbecues. Our family now doesn't really do barbecues, but I've only ever learned those prayers phonetically. I should ask my mom to break it down for me while she still with me.

[vilakins]

I'd be interested to know when you find out - what an unusual family tradition!

Perhaps you could also find someone who speaks modern Greek, as my father's experience shows they would possibly understand.

[labingi]

Both good options. :)

[lilacsigil]

I'm sorry, you don't expect to outlive your trees like that.

[labingi]

No, you don't expect it. Thank you.