The industry of the planters was a choreographed action: dig the hole with a shovel or a spade, empty the small black plastic container with the tree into the hole, pack in the soil, add the empty black plastic pot to the growing stack, trek back to the pile of wood chip mulch, bring a larger Home Depot bucket, white or orange, full to the brim and create a mulch donut around the base of the tree. Repeat. It's easy with bright sunshine, no wind, no rain!
It was curious how the volunteers spontaneously formed upright curving lines, arms entwined, for photos to celebrate and remember, once the planting was complete! Afterward, neat curving rows of newly planted trees were marked by the mulch or spiralling white tape. The borrowed spades were arrayed recumbent along the grass or standing in the grass in a circle, an enclave of used workers, shovel-henge. The shovel collections were unusual sculptures worthy of an avant garde still life. The mulch pile was scraped bare. The whole activity was completed with military precision, efficient, ordered, unhurried, and more surprising, unrehearsed. Everywhere the planters seemed proud of their work.
At a separate table, children were painting stencilled outlines of butterflies and hummingbirds on plaques with weather resistant paint in bright colours. Once completed, their vibrant artistic efforts were laid in a row inside a wire mesh fence, later to be affixed to the fence with plastic ties.
After the planting, LEAF’s tree tour was a different and eclectic mix of learning. You can read about it and see photos here!
David Slaughter is a LEAF volunteer and amateur photographer who focuses on nature photography in all forms, particularly flowers and flowering trees. He was the volunteer photographer on the tree tour that followed this event.