White Spruce (Picea glauca)

Native Americans included spruce trees in their folklore. Tribes in the US southwest used the tree to symbolize the sky. Salavi, an ancient medicine man, chose to become a tree, or so the story goes. He became the first spruce … Read More

Canadian Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)

There is a widespread belief that all hemlock trees are poisonous. We can confidently debunk that rumour. Although the philosopher Socrates drank a cup of hemlock to take his own life, Canadian hemlocks are not toxic in any way. In … Read More

Balsam Fir Trees (Abies balsamea)

Balsam fir (Abies balsamea) cones stand straight up, sitting on top of the branch. This positioning is a signature of the fir family and makes this species something of a rogue. You see, other conifer cones hang downward. The purple-green … Read More