January 2026

A Year With the Trees - 2026

Box Elder drawing by  Brooke Priddy Conrad

"And now let us welcome the new year; full of things that have never been."  Rainer Maria Rilke

The 93 trees of "A Year With the Trees" have been a big part of this journey since 2010. Each tree was sought out and found, offering a chance to sit quietly in its presence. From the network of veins in a leaf to the patterns of the bark and the land where each tree lives, every detail has a story to tell.

Up in the branches, birds and wildlife find a place to live and move. These trees change with the seasons: the bare branches of winter eventually give way to the new green growth of spring. Summer brings a fullness of life that slowly turns into the changing colors of fall. In the sunlight, the leaves turn to shades of gold, brown, red, and yellow. Even when the leaves fall to the ground and the branches are bare again, there is a quiet waiting for the new growth to return in the spring.

Visiting and journaling these 93 trees through every season reveals that there is always more to learn about them. It is a rewarding experience to walk through the woods, down a street, or in a park and recognize the trees as familiar friends. Developing this connection provides a sense of peace.

Beyond their beauty, trees are essential for life. We can breathe clean air and drink clean water because we live on the same planet with them. Their roots hold the soil in place, and their branches provide homes for birds, small mammals, moths, and butterflies. We share an interconnected world, and trees are its quiet protectors. 

"A Year With the Trees" was started as a way to share how to get to know the trees. Whether you are following along with all 93 or just getting to know a single tree in your neighborhood, these amazing Southern Appalachian trees have much to share with anyone who takes the time to look.

When one has an appreciation and gratitude for trees, one will naturally be led to protect and care for them.

Drawing by Rebecca Priddy

There is a journal booklet I created with the help of my husband, Robert and my daughter, Brooke Conrad.  I wanted to make this journal to help others get to know these trees.  I am editing it now to be able to hopefully put it online and/or  in printed form.  I will update this post when I get these journal booklets ready.  In the meantime, have fun out there in nature.  

For the love of the trees,

Rebecca

Aceraceae - Maple Family 

Box Elder

"A Year With the Trees" - Tree Number 1

January 1

April 1

July 1

October 1

Spring

Box Elder drawing by  Brooke Priddy Conrad

The Box Elder in the light of a spring day

When I started writing my Journal Book called, A Year With the Trees, I began with the Box Elder Tree.  This is the tree I studied on January 1st for the Winter Box Elder tree.  I returned again on April 1st and on July 1st and October 1st.  I  visited each of the 93 trees in all four seasons.  The springtime Box Elder is my favorite tree at this time of year.  When you see the incredible light on the pale new green leaves, you will know why it is favorite.  I started this tree journey in 2010; now I have 93 incredible species that I call my tree friends.  

Find your own Box Elder Friend and get to know that tree in all its beautiful seasons. Sit with the tree and look into it's branches.  See how it changes throughout the year and see what feelings you experience as you become still and just breathe under this tree's branches.  For me, I feel Peace; and we can all use more peace everyday.  Let me know if you want to know where you can find my favorite Box Elder.  

You can find more info in this blog about the box elder by finding its name in the labels.

For the love of the trees,
Becky

Box Elder - Acer negundo

Aceraceae - Maple Family 
"A Year With the Trees" - Tree Number 1

Spring

Box Elder drawing by  Brooke Priddy Conrad

The Box Elder in the light of a spring day

Summer

The Box Elder tree has a compound leaf with three to five leaflets per leaf. The leaflets have coarse teeth. The twigs are green and hairless. They grow in pairs in an opposite arrangement. The flowers are like stacks of samaras, and are quite beautiful.

Fall 

Box Elder leaves in September

Box Elder on October 1st at Carrier Park in Asheville, NC

Winter

Box Elder, Acer negundo
photo by Robert Priddy

 The Box Elder is so beautiful this time of year with the samaras still holding on in the winter sunlight.  If you happen to be out on a winter's day walk in West Asheville by the river, be on the lookout for this Box Elder tree.

Winter Tree Identification is quite challenging and fun.  I have so much fun knowing what the trees are in the winter.  The trees I do not recognize, I will get out my books and computer and figure it out. 

The Winter Box Elder can be identified by looking at the twigs and bark. 
On the twig, leaf scars meet in a raised point and you will see the leaf scars circling the stem.

Twigs are greenish to purple and slender and hairless.  They grow opposite each other on the branches.

The bark will be smooth while the tree is young.  The tree will develop bark that is gray brown with interlacing ridges and furrows.

Buds are covered in whitish hairs.  The terminal bud is pointed, reddish, woolly.

Epicormic branches can be seen sticking out on the trunk; they are usually green.  These are little random branches that just stick out on the trunk.

Here is my drawing/interpretation of a Box Elder Twig.  

Box Elder Twig
Rebecca Priddy

The Champion Box Elder trees

There are 3 champion Box Elder trees listed in the North Carolina forest service champion tree program.  One of them is the Murphy, North Carolina.  It is 66 feet tall with a circumference of 147 inches.  
https://www.ncforestservice.gov/urban/tree_detail.asp?Tree_ID=664

My favorite Box Elder Tree

My favorite Box Elder lives in West Asheville on the walk by the river near Carrier Park.  I think the Box Elder may be one of the most photogenic trees I have ever photographed.

Plant a Box Elder Tree

The Box Elder tree is one of the host plants for the Cecropia silkmoth, the largest moth in America.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hyalophora_cecropia_01.jpg

This tree is a masterpiece of art. The seeds are eaten by wildlife. The sap makes syrup. The branches are great for climbing. The samaras are beautiful. The shade to sit under and read is just perfect.

For the love of the trees,
Becky