I recently returned from a natural navigation exercise in the New Forest, Hampshire.
On leaving a patch of woodland I was reminded of a common mistake that many natural navigators make. It’s an easy trap to fall into.
Whenever we are reading nature for direction, there is always a middle step.
However tempting, when we see a sign in nature we must try to never leap straight to direction. Why? Because nature doesn’t care much for words like north, south, east or west.
All plants are very sensitive to light, wind, water and many other factors. Learning how they respond to these influences can give us a sense of direction, but this is only dependable when we remind ourselves to read the complete picture.
If more light reaches a tree from one side, this will shape that tree (and all other plants). But, here’s the key thing: there are several reasons why light might reach a tree more strongly from one direction. The most common is that we get more light from the south side and that is vital for natural navigation. But it could be shading from other trees, buildings or hills.
The trees never lie, but they don’t always give us the answer we want in one step.
I remember a tree I saw many years ago whilst walking down a city street in a foreign country. It had an interesting shape. I read it to try to work out direction, but found it hard. It only made sense once I realised the tree was growing towards light reflected off a mirror-glass building on north side of the street.
In the photo above, taken during the same natural navigation exercise in the New Forest, we can see a tree that appears to have changed its mind. It grows from left to right low down and then in the opposite direction higher up. This is a good demonstration of the way a tree grows towards the light, wherever it finds it.
In its early life, it was shaded by other trees on its left side. Once it had outgrown the smaller trees there, it started to grow towards the brighter sky to the left.
You might also enjoy:
Red Fruits on the South Side of Plants and Trees
How to Read a Tree – The Book