I’m sharing a letter I wrote to an old friend:
Dear London Plane Tree,
I wonder if you know of your impending demise, spelled out in white spray paint on your flaky bark? I was told that today, or maybe tomorrow, would be your last, despite your healthy nature. You clean the air and provide shade just outside my front door, supporting my health and the wellbeing of my University neighborhood. You have been my steady companion through first-time homeownership and starting my life here in Syracuse. I once spent a whole evening just watching a house wren build her nest in your branches — a new neighbor!…