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Natural History

Trees as witnesses

The pursuit of ancient trees
by Ashley Hay
March 2024, no. 462

What the Trees See: A wander through millennia of natural history in Australia by Dave Witty

Monash University Publishing, $29.99 pb, 288 pp

ABR receives a commission on items purchased through this link. All ABR reviews are fully independent.

The photograph arrives while I am reading Dave Witty’s What the Trees See. A tree’s branch close-up, outer brown-red bark peeled back to smooth and brilliant green. A friend, spotting it on Quandamooka Country in Minjerribah, North Stradbroke Island, has been understandably stopped in her tracks. Framed intimately like this, its shape and textures suggest warm musculature: lean in, you will be held. This beautiful creature.

 


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What the Trees See: A wander through millennia of natural history in Australia by Dave Witty

Monash University Publishing, $29.99 pb, 288 pp

ABR receives a commission on items purchased through this link. All ABR reviews are fully independent.


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