A Forest Sounds Like a Ship at Sea:

Tree of Balance: the Alder

Day 18, Part 2: Remote Residency at Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Ireland, 7/18/22 to 8/13/22, Maria Driscoll McMahon checking in from New York State

Many thanks to Margaret Manning for the photograph she took of these Alder catkins and flowers as they grow in Ireland. See the Post from FRIDAY, 5 - Day 18 - Irish trees in Ireland! devoted entirely to Margaret's photography and poetry. All other photographs on this page of two species of alders were taken by me in Ithaca, NY at the F.R. Arboretum at Cornell University on August 4, 2022.

Alder male catkins and female flowers by Margaret Manning, Skibbereen, Ireland

As with all the other trees I have gotten to know so far, the alder tree also has an enthralling story, especially when you look at one up close! Alders are frequently found growing in "riparian woodlands" (on river banks) and are members of the birch family. As with legumes, they extract nitrogen from the air. Being monoecious their flowers are both male and female: the long yellow catkins are male and the smaller, red cone-like flowers are female. This trait is why the druids thought of the alder as a "tree of balance."

The ancient Irish believed the first human being was made from an alder tree! When the tree is cut (and it should never be cut lest bad luck befall the feller), the inside of the tree turns red due to its sap!

Alder wood is very hard and has been used to make clogs, shields, and ship masts. The tree also has medicinal properties.

Kiltubrid-Alder-wooden-shield-Ireland, Coffey, George, 1857-1916, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Finding the alder tree was a challenge for me during my visit to the F.R. Arboretum. I was about to give up when I remembered the photo on the Cornell site showed a tree against a fence. I was able to find the tree by finding the fence first. The accession tag rewarded me with "Alder!" A second species of alder was also there right next to the first. You can tell the difference due to the shape of the leaves.