This is from John Burrough's essay, "The Gospel of Nature," found in
his 1912 book "Time and Change." It's the last chapter. The entire
book can be found online at the Gutenberg Project website. This site
has ebooks in plain text that are easy to download. I'd recommend the
site in general. There's an amazing amount of material on it. Here's
the quote I liked, somewhat tree-related:

I do not know that the bird has taught me any valuable lesson.
Indeed, I do not go to Nature to be taught. I go for enjoyment and
companionship. I go to bathe in her as in a sea; I go to give my
eyes and ears and all my senses a free, clean field and to tone up
my spirits by her "primal sanities." If the bird has not preached to
me, it has added to the resources of my life, it has widened the
field of my interests, it has afforded me another beautiful object
to love, and has helped make me feel more at home in this world. To
take the birds out of my life would be like lopping off so many
branches from the tree: there is so much less surface of leafage to
absorb the sunlight and bring my spirits in contact with the vital
currents. We cannot pursue any natural study with love and
enthusiasm without the object of it becoming a part of our lives.
The birds, the flowers, the trees, the rocks, all become linked with
our lives and hold the key to our thoughts and emotions.

Enjoy!

Craig Cowing
NY
Zone 5b/6a Sunset 37

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