Anyone who knows me knows I have an obsession with birch trees. I think they are the most beautiful trees in the world. In my personal symbolism, they are the White Lady of the Wood, the Virgin Queen of the Forest (don't I sound like a neopagan wanker?) There are quite a few different types, for the sake of definition here is a white birch pictured at right. You can do many things with "Beth" (as she was known to the Celts). I think it is fun to write on the bark, since it is so paper-like. Supposedly you can eat the inner bark to, and make tea from the leaves. Native Americans made canoes out of the bark. The bark also makes really good tinder. Another thing I like to do in the spring is eat the little leaf buds. Theyre slightly nutty and slightly acidic and slightly fresh-green tasting. You don't see them much in the wild in southeast Ohio, although I have seen a few. Theres a really great old one in Oak Grove Cemetary, an amazingly cool cemetary in my hometown. Other than that, people use them all the time in landscaping.
This is another tree that embodies some personal symbolism for me. Where the Birch is the Lady of the Wood, the Oak is the Lord. They are always so huge and powerful looking. There are two great oak trees ton each side of my grandparent's property. They look like great big shaggy old men. There was another ivy covered one in my neighborhood we used to make believe was a cursed witch. I love the Oaks in winter, because they have such brown leathery leaves, that smell pretty good. Theres the whole Oak King versus the Holly King legend too, which is fun. At the turn of the seasons the Holly King and Oak King duke it out. In the Winter, the Holly King reigns, in the Summer, the Oak King reigns. There's the whole Druidism relation too, which is fun. The Oak always symbolizes all the big male Gods in mythologies, so it's good for spells for strength and power, or anything dealing with the God(s). Uses for it can be anything you need tannic acid for like curing leather or dying things or drying out rashes and such. Acorns are supposedly good to eat as well, I never have, since I am too lazy to go to the trouble of gathering and leachingout the tannins.
