The Gifts of a Tree

Watching living things grow is so rewarding. The growth process is fascinating, and being in the same place over a period of years to observe it is also a gift. About 10 years ago, a tiny sapling showed up in the yard, and rather than pull it out, I let it grow. This is what it has become: 

 

Nowadays, it provides filtered shade for the house, a place for wild doves and sparrows to perch and roost, nectar for the pollinators, and strong branches to hang the bird cages and my chair hammock on. It's a real presence in the yard. 

I looked it up, and turns out its scientific name is Albizia lebbeck. A member of the pea family, it is originally from the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar, and is cultivated throughout tropical and subtropical regions. Its common names include siris, frywood, lebbeck, koko, and East Indian walnut. In the East, it's cultivated for wood, medicinal and forage purposes, whereas, in South and Central America, it's cultivated as a shade tree.

The pods drop all year long, and each pod has 6 - 8 seeds in it, so now little saplings are sprouting up all over the yard. Some of them I cut back completely, others I trim as little bonsai trees, and a couple I plan to let grow freely. (You can never have enough shade in this dry and hot climate.) This species of tree is fast-growing and drought-tolerant and gives so much without requiring much at all.