Street Trees by Car

 

8/31/24 Japanese maples, Capitol Hill neighborhood

The remaining trees documented in Taha Ebrahimi’s book, Street Trees of Seattle, are out of reach unless I get in my car to drive to their neighborhoods. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my walking tours of all the street trees in Maple Leaf and Green Lake and many in Ravenna, Wedgwood and Bryant. The trees gave my fitness walking a purpose (and motivation). It was an ideal summer walk-sketch project!

My sketch documentation of the trees continues, though now with a different strategy. Whenever I have an errand or appointment anyway, I try to plan a tree or two to fit into the trip. Taha’s hand-drawn maps in the book make that task easy. If I see more than one tree in the same general area, I use Google maps to see how far apart they are on foot, and often I can park the car once and turn two or three trees into a mini walking tour. As the weather gets colder, I might even start sketching some from my car (although the best angles are usually from the sidewalk).

8/31/24 silver maples, Capitol Hill neighborhood

Last Saturday when USk Seattle met in Capitol Hill, I found several tree locations that were within walking distance from the meetup. I first sketched a row of three Japanese maples (top of post), the largest of which is the widest diameter of its type in the neighborhood. I bet they will be stunning come fall; I’ve made a note to check them again in October.

A couple of blocks away, I found the widest-diameter silver maple street tree in the city (at right). Based on the foliage, I think the two trees on either side of it are also silver maples (but a bit smaller).

The other trees sketched here are from the Bryant, Wedgwood and Crown Hill neighborhoods. Most of these trees do not look special; in fact, sometimes I wonder why they are documented in the book, since they don’t look particularly large (though many have other notable aspects as described in the book). Regardless of their size or how they look, drawing the trees always makes me appreciate them more. Trees are literally as individual as humans, and I’m honored to observe and appreciate each one’s uniqueness.

8/8/24 monkey puzzle tree (possibly the first I've ever sketched!), Bryant neighborhood

8/12/24 Holm and English oaks, Wedgwood neighborhood

8/17/24 grand fir and valley oak, Wedgwood neighborhood

8/28/24 dogwood and bristlecone pine, Crown Hill neighborhood