The Silver Birch You call me Silver Birch but I have many names: Beith, The Mother Tree, Tree of Endurance and Survival, Tree of Air and Water, Betula Alba, The Lady of The Woods, The Paper Tree, The Shining One, The Nurse Tree, Tree of Renewal and Rebirth. I was the first tree to colonise Europe and the North of the world after the Ice age. I am the hardiest of trees and you will even find me growing in Greenland and Iceland. Because of my small leaves and fine branches the earth beneath me is damp and lush and welcoming to slower growing plants which I protect. In the Spring before my tender green leaves emerge, if you put your ear to my trunk you can hear the sap rising! Some people even tap my sap for a refreshing drink in April. In the Autumn you can pick edible mushrooms growing in the soft moss round me.

My bark is silvery white and paper thin and a wonderful fire tinder, and my wood burns well. Since the first humans journeyed to the north they have depended on me for survival and I am held in great esteem by nomadic and indigenous people living in the cold places of the north. You will see me growing in places that temperatures have reached minus 50 degrees! I am also one of the most useful and versatile of trees. From my wood human hands crafted my fresh cut timber into babys cradles, ski's, bowls, spoons, besom brooms, stools,

drop spindles and musical instruments such as the Finnish Kantele. My branches would be made into a shelter and my bark would be used to make this house water, wind and snow tight. It was said in the Highlands of Scotland that switches of my branches could be used to banish the evil eye on cattle as well as humans. My bark can be shaped into containers such as the 2,500 year old one found in a bog near Trondheim, Norway! It was thought to have contained butter. You can also weave shoes and baskets from my fine bark and even in Canada they make canoes from me! Ancient religious texts dating back to 5th century were written on me and have survived.

The resin that comes from my bark when you heat me at high temperatures will give you a waterproof tar which can be used to line pots, make boats water tight and was so sticky it would made a fine glue. Humans even loved to chew this resin - I was the first chewing gum! Many legends and folktales have grown around me. In Scandinavia I am the God Thors tree and associated with the Goddess of love and the sky and clouds Frigga. A branch over the door of a house would protect humans from all kinds of trouble from supernatural forces and lightening! At Beltaine in the Highlands cattle would be herded through the smoke of my fires to give protection before going with the crofters to the Shielings. In Celtic lore the ancient Irish Tree Alphabet begins with the letter B (Beith). In Finland the first birch was said to have sprung from a maidens tear, and the Finnish Creation myth, the Kalevala, tells of Vainamoinen, who made his harp from my wood and strings from a singing maiden and sang to the birds and the trees. In Siberian folklore I am the Tree of Life. In the far north they say grows an enormous birch. Its leaves are as big as a bears paw and its catkins as long as whips. At the foot of this birch is a well and that is the source of the water of life. If you dip a cup made of birch into this well and drink its water you will have eternal life.

For more information and resources on the Silver Birch try: The Woodland Trust: http://www.british-trees.com/treeguide/birches/nbnsys0000003827 Celtic Tree Alphabet: http://www.celtictreealphabet.co.uk/index.php/schools/beithe/