Pacific Yew

Couldn’t get much traction on my own projects today…but managed quite a bit on H’s “to do” work list…the 2 of us got the deck all coated and then later he wanted to tackle some of the storm-downed wood…at least to clear the trail so we can walk through, and tarp some of it for the upcoming (hopefully!) rain.   We did that..there is a path now!!…but I was interested in this Pacific Yew tree that I can now walk to and have not really noticed before…that looks like there is so much new growth.  Im missed this tree in my tree blips last year.   Usually a small understory tree that lives in the shade among the giant firs, this one is now open to the sun in the storm damaged forest…right next to the only remaining limb from the huge arbutus.   Yews have hard flexible wood and papery reddish bark used by the coastal groups for carving many many implements   —the Haida called it the “bow plant”..  It gets a red berry in September that is good for birds but poisonous for humans.   Actually, it’s just the seed, not the flesh of the berry that is poisonous...... The foliage is poisonous to horses and cattle but those moose graze on them. ( not here! )  The bark was recently used for a time for taxol, an anti cancer drug but no longer as the drug is now synthesized, and there wasn’t a great supply anyway, being so small.   I just can’t help thinking  that all those trees are talking to each other and have a plan…it will be a very rich nurturing place for all assorts of plants and creatures, and even if we take a bit for firewood, you can still hardly see the ground except for the path we’ve cleared.   


Extra…H -  waiting for my help,…Is he talking to these trees?  (you can actually see this yew with the sun on it in the middle of the photo in the back.)