February 14, 2026

 Valentine’s Day 2026 tour with Jeff , sign-up here --> link

Meet at 9:00AM Saturday in front of Inman Perk coffeeshop (240 North Highland Ave NE). We will walk for 1 1/2 hours, covering 1 mile of the Beltline, ending at Ponce City Market. (In fact, you can park near the end and walk to Inman Perc...if you want to end the tour near your car).

January 10, 2026

This Week's Tour...

...met at 9:00AM Saturday in front of Inman Perk coffeeshop (240 North Highland Ave NE). 

"The Tourists"...
What a great group! Tech students! Curious Atlantans! And grandma’s 75th birthday! Happy Birthday!  I hope I earned the privilege of your time.

Book of the week...
...is just one of the many sources of inspiration for my tour; “The Light Eaters”, by Zoë Schlesinger. “How The Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers à New Understanding of Life on Earth.”  And if you live on Earth, like I do, boy will you find this fascinating! And it answers the question Jeff “stumped” himself with during the tour (see below).

"Stump" of the week...
...featuring a question raised during the tour that Jeff couldn't answer.

Diagram of transpiration (thanks, wiki)

Q: Jeff mentioned “transpiration”, the process by which trees bring water up from the soil by releasing water through their leaves. What happens during the winter, when trees have dropped their leaves (through abscission)?

…and holy moly, so many related questions; is water still moving thru the trees xylem? Why doesn’t the water freeze? If it does freeze, why doesn’t the water burst open the tree like frozen pipes in a home? 

A: The short answer? Mostly no… and also, trees are clever.

Without leaves, transpiration largely shuts down, so water movement slows way down. Some water does freeze—but trees are built for that. Water can freeze between cells, or squeeze into cells without causing damage. Unlike your home’s rigid pipes, tree tissues are flexible and well-insulated, so they bend instead of bursting.

Nature: still undefeated.

November 2, 2025

 This Week's Tour...

...met at 9:00AM Saturday in front of Inman Perk coffeeshop (240 North Highland Ave NE). 

"The Tourists"...
What a great group of new and OG Atlantans, in one case someone I’d met a the previous day’s Fernbank Forest tour! I hope I earned the privilege of your time.

Pic of the week...
...is just one of the many examples of street art along the Beltline…this one depicting Kevin! Everyone in the Beltline “community” knows Kevin, an amazing person who exemplifies how simple kindness and enthusiasm can be so uplifting and infectious. Be more Kevin!

Tree of the week...
...is a Trees Atlanta favorite we are proud to have in our front yard; Cherrybark oak.

Originally thought to be a sub species of southern red oak, this tree is celebrated for its fast growth, strong wood, and gorgeous fall leaves. The Latin name “pagoda” refers to the tiered shape of the lobed leaves.

Cherrybark Oak

 Quercus pagoda

"Stump" of the week...
...featuring a question raised during the tour that Jeff couldn't answer.

Super craggy bark (with bird nests) of a Douglas fir

Q: Trees have many forms of bark and that form can change as trees mature. Beech and Tulip Poplars both start with similar, smooth bark, but that definitely is not the case in older trees!

A: Both tulip poplars and American beeches begin life with thin, smooth bark, but they age quite differently due to bark elasticity. The tulip poplar’s bark loses flexibility as the tree rapidly grows in girth, forcing it to crack and form deep ridges that accommodate expansion. In contrast, the American beech maintains highly elastic, slow-growing bark that stretches instead of splitting, allowing it to stay smooth for decades. This difference reflects each tree’s growth rate and strategy: the tulip poplar prioritizes speed and height, while the beech invests in longevity and resilience. The result is a striking contrast—two smooth saplings that mature into entirely different textures over time.

October 11, 2025

 This Week's Tour...

...met at 9:00AM Saturday in front of Inman Perk coffeeshop (240 North Highland Ave NE). 

"The Tourists"...
What a great group of Atlantans..and repeat tour takers! I hope I earned the privilege of your time….again!

Pic of the week...
...is just more street art on the Freedom Parkway overpass. 

Tree of the week...
...is an Atlanta native not on the Eastside trail (yet!), but being from the PNW, I love a connection.

American hophornbeam! Okay, you can’t brew an IPA from these flowers, but they sure look hoppy. And I was today years old when I found out those “hops” are the result of the flower developing into a “nutlet” surrounded by a papery sac called “involucre”. 

American Hophornbeam

 Ostrya virginiana

"Stump" of the week...
...featuring a question raised during the tour that Jeff couldn't answer.

Prunus serotina

Q: We see non-native, fruiting cherry trees along the Beltline (not planted by Trees Atlanta); are there any species of cherry tree native to the eastern U.S.?

A: Sort of! Folks from the western U.S. might be familiar with "Rainier" cherries (Prunus avium), "a premium type of cherry...sweet with a thin skin and thick creamy-yellow flesh." It is a cultivar that is grafted to rootstock of the wild Prunus avium, native to Eurasia. 

So the long answer is: there isn't a cherry similar to "Rainier" that is native to Atlanta, but being a grafted cultivar, "Rainier" itself isn't native to anywhere! But there is a type of "cherry" native to our region; Prunus serotina. But - and this is an even BIGGER BUT - despite its common name, it is not very closely related to commonly cultivated cherries. It does fruit, it does support hundreds of native species, and it can be VERY invasive...so be very careful when introducing a native "cherry" to our ecosystem

August 9, 2025

This Week's Tour...

...met at 9:00AM Saturday in front of Inman Perk coffeeshop (240 North Highland Ave NE). 

"The Tourists"...
What a great group of Atlantans (and nearly Atlantans…Fairburn in the house! Happy 3 years together!). I hope I earned the privilege of your time.

Pic of the week...
...is actually me "stumping" for a podcast!!

Completely Arbortrary is a great resource for all things tree. It's just 2 guys that love trees and hope you want to listen. This episode - "All Trees Go To Heaven (American Beech)" - partially inspired some of this month's tour content. 

Tree of the week...
...is going to be a repost of ALL OF THEM.

One of our intrepid tourists was interested specifically in growing her tree identification knowledge. It can be tough during the winter, since leaves are such an integral part of identification, but here is the list of the trees I pointed out along the trail:

• Fringe trees (Chionanthus retusus)
• Chickasaw plum (Prunus angustifolia)
• Shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata)
• Cathedral live oak (Quercus virginiana)
• Georgia oak (Quercus georgiana)
• American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)
• Sawtooth oak (Quercus acutissima, non-native)
• Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)
• Pignut hickory (Carya glabra)
• Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica..not sweet gum...ew)
• Lots of oaks (genus Quercus), including white swamp, southern red, chinquapin
• Carolina and Canada Hemlocks (Tsuga caroliniana and canadensis)
• Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)
• Southern red oak (Quercus falcata)
• Scarlett oak (Quercus coccinea...remember Cochineal bugs...a source of red dye)
• - ...and then oak hill with all 33 native oak species

...and follow this link to Trees Atlanta's "Interactive Tree Inventory Map" to see them all!

Pignut Hickory

 Carya glabra

"Stump" of the week...
...featuring a question raised during the tour that Jeff couldn't answer.

Prunus serotina

Q: We see non-native, fruiting cherry trees along the Beltline (not planted by Trees Atlanta); are there any species of cherry tree native to the eastern U.S.?

A: Sort of! Folks from the western U.S. might be familiar with "Rainier" cherries (Prunus avium), "a premium type of cherry...sweet with a thin skin and thick creamy-yellow flesh." It is a cultivar that is grafted to rootstock of the wild Prunus avium, native to Eurasia. 

So the long answer is: there isn't a cherry similar to "Rainier" that is native to Atlanta, but being a grafted cultivar, "Rainier" itself isn't native to anywhere! But there is a type of "cherry" native to our region; Prunus serotina. But - and this is an even BIGGER BUT - despite its common name, it is not very closely related to commonly cultivated cherries. It does fruit, it does support hundreds of native species, and it can be VERY invasive...so be very careful when introducing a native "cherry" to our ecosystem.

July 26, 2025

This Week's Tour...

...met at 9:00AM Saturday in front of Inman Perk coffeeshop (240 North Highland Ave NE). 

"The Tourists"...
What a great group of Atlantans (and nearly Atlantans). I hope I earned the privilege of your time.

May 18, 2025

This Week's Tour...

...met at 9:00AM Saturday in front of Inman Perk coffeeshop (240 North Highland Ave NE). We spent 90 minutes together, the majority of which was a great discussion of history, urban tree management, and weather while waiting out a deluge under the Freedom Parkway bridge!

"The Tourists"...
What a great group! Braved the downpour! I hope I earned the privilege of your time.