We enjoy being lost―or perhaps found―in wildness and the grandness of nature. TreeGirl brings us there. In TreeGirl: Intimate Encounters with Wild Nature, Julianne Skai Arbor, a.k.a. TreeGirl―photographer, certified arborist, conservation educator and forest ecotherapist―invites us into intimate contact with fifty magnificent tree species from her adventures in thirteen countries on four continents. Using a remote-control timer and a tripod, she photographs herself and others in sensual connection with the trees of the world.
Weaving fine art photography, natural history, nature connection, conservation, and the ecopsychology of the human-tree relationship, this book is an invitation to heal from the madness of modern civilization and rewild ourselves by cultivating our own intimate relationship with nature. Each tree species, includes one to four photographs, the tree's natural history, ethnobotany and conservation status, and a narrative caption of TreeGirl's encounter with the tree. Five essays holistically address aspects of the human-tree relationship: the sensual (physical), the biophilic (ecopsychological), the arboricultural (ecological), the archetypal (spiritual) and the practical (therapeutic). "Lovers" tells a dreamy tale of TreeGirl's sensual and transmutational encounter with a tree; "Tree Affinity" explains the biology and psychology of why we are attracted to trees; "Touch Trees" examines a holistic view of arboriculture (the science of taking care of trees); and "The Goddess and the Green Man" is the story of TreeGirl's own spiritual encounters with trees as female and male Nature archetypes. The last chapter, "Rewilding," offers seven accessible ways in which almost anyone can connect with nature to rewild themselves. The Foreword is by Fred Hageneder, German tree authority, author and musician.
Thoroughly researched and stunningly illustrated with over 150 color photographs, this interdisciplinary coffee table book is an inspiration and a resource for any tree lover.
My Thoughts
I have always considered myself a tree-hugger. I love being out in nature, and there is nothing more relaxing that meditating with your back against an ancient tree. TreeGirl is the ultimate book for treehuggers and lovers of nature. The photography in this book is absolutely stunning. Each image brings you a majestic tree, and hidden somewhere within it's branches is a beautiful woman. In some they are clinging to the branches. In some they are wrapped in a gaping whole, as though in the very womb of mother earth herself. You'll see the trees in all different seasons, in all sizes and shapes, from all over the world.
The photography is the crowning glory of this book, but there is still more to love. Within the pages, you'll learn about all the different types of trees. There are even maps showing where they can be found. One of my favorite chapters was the one that discussed nature gods and goddesses like the Green Man. If you need a new book for your coffee table, this one is definitely going to get some attention. Lovers of nature everywhere need to have this in their collection. You'll enjoy paging through this book for years to come.