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10/23/2009

The Way I See It
Campus trees different, but beautiful

Editor's note: "The Way I See It" is a special guest column written by faculty, staff and students at the invitation of Rice News.

	CARINA BASKETT

A recent opinion piece in the Rice Thresher became the subject of many lunch conversations for its comparisons between Houston and New York City ("Houston lacks grandeur of New York life," Sept. 25). One of the author’s complaints in particular -- that Rice has only one type of tree on campus, the live oak -- struck close to my heart. My job last summer was to update the Rice Campus Tree Map, and after meeting every one of the university's 4,781 trees, let me tell you, we do not have only one type of tree. In fact, our campus is the Lynn R. Lowrey Arboretum! If you somehow manage to get tired of the 2,262 gorgeous live oaks, there are 167 other species of woody plants on campus. From the lovely serpentine branches of the old post oaks to the heady smell of magnolia flowers in late spring, the campus trees have a lot to offer.

As a tree lover, I understand how it might feel unsettling to go somewhere new and miss the trees from back home. But the giants around you don’t have to remain strangers. Out-of-towners, I challenge you: Rather than feel disappointed by the absence of sugar maples, learn to recognize its cousins, the red maple and southern sugar maple. Rather than bemoan the lack of coniferous evergreens, find and enjoy our evergreen oaks. You can use the campus tree map to learn some of the more common Texas trees.

Our trees may be different from yours, but they are no less beautiful, and if you're looking for plant diversity, the Rice campus is actually an excellent place to start.

-- Carina Baskett is a Martel College senior majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology.