We Are In This Together

Sometimes, no matter how hard I try, I anthropomorphize animals. Attributing human emotions to animals can lead to awkward situations. (To be fair, sometimes I think some animals are more “human” than some humans are “human.”)

Early this morning, before the sun had burned away the fog and frost, I anthropomorphized a couple of trees. When I saw a conifer and deciduous tree standing watch in the frost and fog, I thought of them as if they were thinking they were in the situation together. There they stood, side-by-side, waiting and watching the world go by through vision-limiting fog and frost. It seemed like they could have been assuring each other they were in this together.

Obviously I know trees do not have emotions, or do they? Studies have shown that trees can communicate through their root systems. If one tree is being attacked or impacted by a threat, other trees develop defenses toward those threats. Some survive and possibly thrive, while others die.

So maybe my two trees had communicated between themselves. Perhaps today’s weather event will be impactful to the trees? I will have to follow science to learn more. (Get a start on learning about trees communicating at this article. Do Trees Talk To Each Other?)

Other images seen in the fog follow below.