Leaves, Branches, Trunks and Roots.

Street Trees of Seattle: Taha Ebrahimi's walking guide through our green treasures.

Whenever I host out of town guests here in my Capitol Hill neighborhood, one of the first things people comment upon is verdant and lush canopy of trees lining my street. The great ivy covered maples and the old twisty elm. And of course our cherry trees, their bright pink heralding in our damp spring. These are trees all my neighbors have given their own secret names. The elm, I call Gandalf, the tall grey wizard that plays host to my friendly crows. And when of these old fellows succumb to a fall storm, disease, or the tragedy of short-sighted development, I'm not ashamed to admit I have wept.

And, thanks to a mention by the good folks at Vanishing Seattle, this is why Ebrahimi's book "Street Trees of Seattle" was such a precious find.

It's more than just a guide book, it's the work of someone who understands the magic alchemy of our green spaces. Our ancestral instinct fo be under the protective spread of leaves and branches. The guardian spirit that oversees our living city.

I've just started on some of her walks. So far I've journeyed on the streets with which I'm already familiar, but now seeing with new eyes. I have said out loud "Hey! I know that tree!" More than once.

Ebramhimi's book will highlight a specific tree, the brief history of a neighborhood, and I feel a little more at home in city that changes far too fast.

It's comforting to know that there are people who share what I love about this town. And they care enough to share that story.