Applause Please

We are waiting for the Catalpa tree in our backyard to leaf out and come into bloom. Our first Spring here we wondered if this tree was dead because it was June before the leaves emerged. The blossoms are beautiful as the photo indicates. We have a couple of other flowering trees -- a lilac and a serviceberry -- as well as a number of flowering shrubs which are virtually tree size. Then there are the spruces and cedars, two white ashes and a maple. We are fortunate to be surrounded by these living, breathing entities. This was in the Globe and Mail today:

Viva trees
Some of the Tree Huggers' Creed, reports Harrowsmith Country Life magazine:
--Trees keep us cool. One large tree releases 400 gallons of water into the air each day. The water absorbs heat as it evaporates, cooling the air.
--Trees save us money. Well-placed deciduous trees can reduce air-conditioning costs by 10 to 50 per cent.
--Trees create peace (and quiet). A belt of trees 100 feet wide absorbs as much as six to 12 decibels of highway noise.

The bible is partial to trees with many references. My favorite?

For you shall go out in joy,
and be led back in peace:
the mountains and the hills before you
shall burst into song,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55: 12

I'm listening.