Magnificent Tree Stories of 2015

Nowadays it is rare to see such a massive mulberry and certainly not in the city centre. This magnificent and majestic tree looks down patiently at a world that is constantly changing.

Once upon a time the tree grew on the quiet periphery of the city, today it is surrounded by a busy block of flats where generations of children have grown up.

For the past 24 years an osprey affectionately known by many as ‘Lady’ has been returning to a nest in its branches.

Over this time she has laid 71 eggs and fledged 50 chicks, and a webcam on the tree attracts over 1 million viewers a year in over 160 different countries.

In February 2014 it was blown down in gales. But local people came together to tip over 30 tonnes of soil over the roots.

The aim is to ensure that any intact roots can still function, allowing to tree to become a phoenix, continuing to live and grow but from a reclining position.

Sick people seeking a cure came to hammer a nail into its bark. They rubbed the nail on the afflicted part of their body and then hammered it into the tree hoping that the healthy wood would absorb their pain.

Collective memory has recorded its gratitude by naming it “the bread tree”. Furthermore, its fruit is a suitable food for breeding pigs in the traditional way.

It is a venerable specimen, worthy of being listed among France’s outstanding trees. From an aesthetic perspective, the discerning eye will note that it looks like a fantastical being – half plant, half human – that stands guard over its surroundings.

The tree, big, strong and lush, does not seem to feel the weight of years, yet its age is over two thousand years. It is certainly the progenitor of the many ancient olive trees in Sabina, none of which, however, has equal majesty and beauty.

At the base of the trunk is a cavity that penetrates to the heart of its roots creating a real cave.