Tree & Me: A Community Canopy

Tree & Me is a storytelling series from Leaf & Limb. In each issue, we feature a personal story about trees from one of our readers. This month, our story was written by Gus from Raleigh, NC.

---

A Community Canopy

It started with a swing.

A few friends and I hung it from a branch of a banyan tree on our college campus. Before long, a few hammocks appeared. Then one day, a chandelier materialized. Someone built a small stage so student bands could perform beneath the canopy. Slowly and organically, people began leaving their art among the trunks and limbs. Now there’s even a small journal tucked inside where people write notes to one another.

At some point, we realized something had shifted. We hadn’t just decorated a tree. A special place had materialized.

I think the banyan invited us to do more than pass beneath it on the way to somewhere else. It offered a place to pause, and we responded. Most days, you’ll find a few students gathered there. Someone reading in a hammock. Students studying for a test together.

All we did was hang a swing. The tree did the rest.

Trees have always done this — creating homes and community for all kinds of creatures. Sometimes, if we slow down long enough to notice, that includes us, too.

---

Have your own tree story?

Do you have a tree that holds a special place in your heart? Maybe it’s a childhood climbing tree, a backyard favorite, or one you planted in memory of someone you love.

Please share your story with us to celebrate the powerful connection between people and trees. You can do so by filling out the form below. Each month, we will select a new story to be featured in this “Tree & Me” series.