/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.15083602]

>Tfw I can name over 30 television shows, but I can't name a single tree in the forest.

Literally what can I do about this? I have an excellent vocabulary, but I don't know the names of my own natural environment.

[Anonymous No.15083618]

how about stop holding yourself or pretending to hold yourself to false standards? it doesn't matter what you know about trees, and you probably know that.

[Anonymous No.15083619]

>find forest
>ask 30 trees their names

wtf do you mean what can you do about it, just start

[Anonymous No.15083634]

Oh well it's simple anon, you just read wikipedia articles on trees. We all know that the information we read on the internet easily carries over to the outside world, and this way you don't have to leave your house very much. God forbid, can you imagine going outside?

[Anonymous No.15083637]

>>15083619
keked and based
OP is a dimwit
yo onions abogado

[Anonymous No.15083672]

>>15083602
>can name over 30 television shows
That isn't an accomplishment anon...

[Anonymous No.15083808]

>>15083602
Take up wild mushroom foraging? You'll quickly learn the names of many trees and fungi, with delicious results.

Plenty of books and jewtube vids out there to get you started.

[Anonymous No.15084410]

>>15083808
Not him but there's like no wilderness here in England.

[Anonymous No.15084420]

Read a book on botany?

[Anonymous No.15084439]

>tfw can name over 30 species of marine algae but can't name a single tree
>tfw I don't have room in my degree for botany

[Anonymous No.15084441]

a weeping willow

[Anonymous No.15084447]

>>15084420
Any recs?

[Anonymous No.15084458]

a weeping widow

[Anonymous No.15084463]

a linden tree, the leafs in an infusion have sedative properties good against anxiety and good to fall asleep

[Anonymous No.15084468]

>>15083602
I go to the forest and take pictures of plants and trees I don't know then google their features to find out their names and read about their uses, or post the pic in some foraging group and have people tell me.
It's super comfy to be familiar with your environment.

[Anonymous No.15084493]

A ginkgo biloba, the fruit smells like dog shit so that street in picture probably smeells awful. It's used for tinnitus and as a intracraneal hypotensor. It's toxic though so it's recommended to use supplements with a standard dose.

>>15084463
leaves* whoops

[Anonymous No.15084535]

>>15084447
Just look for an illustrated encyclopedia of plants and flowers if you're interested in identifying particular plants. preferably one specific to your local area/country.

[Anonymous No.15084612]

>>15084535
Any recs?

[Anonymous No.15084675]

>>15083602
Same.
I can recognize 1000 actors and actresses by their faces.
Know the plot of hundreds of movies, tv shows, and games.
Know thousands of fictional characters.

But none of it is good for anything. I wish I knew how to draw. I wish I knew how to code.

[Anonymous No.15084682]

>>15084675
print('sad')

[Anonymous No.15084692]

>>15084493
Cool thing about a gingko is that it's in a class by itself (there is only one type) and contemporary with dinosaurs is the oldest type of extant tree: a living fossil. In Hiroshima six or seven survived the atomic bomb blast (all other vegetation was wiped out) and though charred ultimately budded and are still alive right now, healthy as ever. My sister, who taught English there a few years, says they're marked with plaques here and there around the city. That awful reek of the fallen fruits is a good indication of what prehistoric times smelled like; it's also called the maidenhair tree.

[Anonymous No.15084701]

>>15084447
>>15084612
lmao

[Anonymous No.15084707]

>>15084675
>>15084682
it's ok just start something you wish you could do
tiny, tiny goals at first
it's hard when you want to be good at something to see yourself be bad at it- but almost everyone who is good was once bad. you can do it! there are plenty of resources out there to help you on your journey, and you can make it yourself!
i believe in you

[Anonymous No.15084714]

Read a book about trees. Are you stupid?

[Anonymous No.15084718]

>>15084447
>>15084612
Fellow Amerifats can do no better although there's a tree app similar to the star one that renders tree identification easy these days (if I'm not mistaken).

[Anonymous No.15084780]

>>15084718
whoa, downloaded the sample and read some- i'm thrilled and going back to it. thanks for the rec anon, this is satisfying that bill bryson itch

[Anonymous No.15084793]

>>15084447
find something specific to your local area.

[Anonymous No.15084794]

>>15083602
you sound like a faggot who gives a shit about some trees. who gives a fuck. have sex

[Anonymous No.15084827]

>>15084794
NO THINK JUST COOOOOOOM

[Anonymous No.15084830]

>>15084780
There's also this fwiw

[Anonymous No.15085012]

>>15083602
Pine tree
There was that so hard?

[Anonymous No.15085196]

>>15084830

[Anonymous No.15085246]

>>15083602

You probably know lots of different types of trees, from having seen them IRL or on TV, but you just don't know the names. Same with flowers.

I agree, it's very startling how much common knowledge has changed in the past few decades. When you read books from even the 1950s or so, it's clear that everyone knew all the names of all plants, etc. It just shows how urbanized the world has become.

Anyway here's a picture of a nice oak tree to get you started.

[Anonymous No.15085701]

>>15084794
>gives a shit about some trees
youre on the wrong board, senpai

[Anonymous No.15085731]

Oak
there you go

[Anonymous No.15087223]

>>15084830
i got the combined volume! thanks again for changing my life anon. read all night last night, one of the most awe-inspiring and evocative books i have ever read. can't wait to get back to it. so wonderful.

[Anonymous No.15087234]

>>15084410
but there is woods, good london frog, there are woods.

[Anonymous No.15087250]

>>15085731
Post more aesthetic trees.
Also, suppose i want to plant a tree and have it turn into a gigantic tree over the course of decades, what kind of tree should i plant?

[Anonymous No.15087278]

>>15084675
>I wish I knew how to draw
https://drawabox.com/lesson/0

[Anonymous No.15087289]

>>15087278
https://drawabox.com/lesson/1/2

[Anonymous No.15087625]

>>15087278
how can this thread be so fruitful. you are all so generous and knowledgeable. thank you

[Anonymous No.15087662]

weeping willow

[Anonymous No.15087713]

>>15083602
yea and you don't know all the specific animal names used by farmers either

[Anonymous No.15087726]

>>15084410
>>15087234
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYBruVj9jt8&t=186s

[Anonymous No.15087759]

>>15087250
Redwood.
It’ll take longer than just decades, though.

[Anonymous No.15088386]

>>15087234
There isn't any real wilderness in England what are you talking about

[Anonymous No.15088394]

>>15083602
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWMlp6_ChrE
here you go bro

[Anonymous No.15088400]

>>15087223
lmao

[Anonymous No.15088410]

>>15083602
Get some essential literature

[Anonymous No.15088412]

the machine spirits have converged and become like the muslim god, one out of many

[Anonymous No.15088428]

>>15083602
This is the same as that stupid as busters page. The one with the leaves and the logos.
Like no shit guys! Leaves and trees weren’t deliberately created to be recognized by humans, but logos were. Don’t feel bad about that anon, just stop watching so much tv and start studying what you love, it doesn’t have to even be natural.

[Anonymous No.15088437]

>>15084718
Thank you anon. This helps.

[Anonymous No.15088511]

>>15087223
Geez. I'm blushing. Here's my 1966 copy in fantastic condition purchased at a library book fair two Springs ago for a buck (if I ever head West I'll get that one as well).
Even if youre larping youve made my afternoon, anon. Thanks.

[Anonymous No.15088683]

>>15083602
>Tfw no forests
I wish I lived below the treeline

[Anonymous No.15088779]

>>15083602
Around me I can name pretty much everything

Saguaro
Barrel
Cholla
Prickley pear
Ocotillo
Mesquite
Palo verde
Mojave yucca

[Anonymous No.15088806]

>>15088511
absolutely stunning! i cried reading about the giant sequoias last night. (not larping.) i'm in the west now- can't wait to visit the redwoods.

[Anonymous No.15088896]

>>15087713
Books for this?

[Anonymous No.15088936]

>>15083602
>"Nabokov. Vladimir. American novelist and literature professor who once had something like the following conversation with a student at Cornell University:
>'Mr. Nabokov, I want to be a writer.' Nabokov looks up from his reading he points to a tree outside his office window.

>'What kind of tree is that?' he asks the student.

'>What?'

>'What is the name of that tree?' asks Nabokov. 'The one outside my window.'

>'I don't know,'says the student.

>You'll never be a writer.' says Nabokov.

[Anonymous No.15089070]

>>15088936
Incredibly based.

[Anonymous No.15089206]

>>15088936
He probably knew the names of 0 cryptocurrencies so I will count that as a wash

[Anonymous No.15089219]

>>15083602
Read How to Live on 24 Hours a Day
Buy some wildlife guides
Go outside

[Anonymous No.15089562]

>>15088806
If you ever find yourself in San Francisco in non plague time definitely journey the ten or so miles outside the city and check out Muir Woods-- one of my favorite things to do when out there!

[Anonymous No.15089576]

>>15083602
I've thought about this too
Look out my window, some big trees, no idea what they are
Hear a bird, 0 clue what that guy's name is

[Anonymous No.15089578]

>>15089562
thanks anon, added to my trip list.

[Anonymous No.15089848]

>>15083602
I'm just the opposite
>tfw bio major

[Anonymous No.15089974]

>>15088779
You in Mexico, New or old, or maybe Arizona? I suddenly 'pine' for the trees I cannot see! Meanwhile back east all the peach and cherry blossoms fell a few weeks ago but as I write all the redbud (the buds are red but the flowers pale purple) and dogwoods are in fullest bloom..
With the coming of poppies a few weeks from now it'll be horse chestnuts (inverted cone-shaped white flower clusters) and non-native Royal Paulownias (right side up cone-shaped clusters of deep purple flowers) that dominate my neighborhood tree scene!

[Anonymous No.15089995]

There has to be an app that uses the phone camera and algorithms to identify the plants and rocks around you. Then just go for a walk.

[Anonymous No.15090078]

>>15088428
Top left is a sugar maple, middle is a chestnut (not sure what variety), top right is a conifer (think it's a spruce but not sure), bottom left is a white oak, middle might be holly (hard to tell from crude drawing), and the bottom right is probably an elm but could also be a magnolia.
I also have no idea what the fuck that alligator is.

[Anonymous No.15090143]

>>15083602
A Christmas tree

[Anonymous No.15090343]

>>15090143

[Anonymous No.15090389]

>>15084718
Fucking retards are to read a whole book on the history of trees to please their insecurities of non-tree knowing. It's practically fine to not know the name of 30 trees if you don't live in some-type of rural area. Plus if you actually READ you can name a ton of trees solely from your reading, I don't if you can recall 30 but a lot yes. Me thinks OP's issue is that he does not go outside enough and found a way to cope through that but his inner ego found another roundabout way to this flaw.

[Anonymous No.15090655]

>>15090389
Like Adventure Novels Natural History is a literary genre that gets scant love on /lit/. It's good to see a few people at least interested in the basics (birds and trees) especially at a time when everyone's encouraged to stay indoors. Spring's been lovely but so much that's been always associated with it from college basketball to Easter with my sibs and parents, from that something in the air redolent of new beginnings to just hanging out with a few friends has been taken away. I've really enjoyed this thread iow's; I'm glad it happened.

[Anonymous No.15091476]

>>15090655
Is there a chart for eco-literature?

I feel sad when I think that in earlier days people named all the plants and animals and hills and creeks around them, but now this has all faded into forgetfulness.

[Anonymous No.15091519]

>>15088936
Based Nabokov.

[Anonymous No.15092183]

>>15091476
One was being worked on in the cartoon Hippo thread yesterday, I believe, but I only lurked there. Both Edward Abbey and Barry Lopez were mentioned- Desert Solitaire and Arctic Dreams are both good books. Also someone submitted Gilbert White's classic Natural History of Selbourne but I haven't read that one yet.

[Anonymous No.15092264]

>>15091476
Also, in my brief foray into attempting to know what's around me I've come to understand that I can't really care about anything without knowing what it is- which makes perfect sense. What's (historic) Dutch Elm disease or Dogwood blight to someone who doesn't know what an elm tree or a dogwood even is? It's good to know. Plus, it helps with writing, obviously.

[Anonymous No.15092271]

>>15083602
who gives a fuck lol. it's a tree

[Anonymous No.15092855]

>>15091476
There are multiple Eco-fascist charts.

[Anonymous No.15092863]

>>15092855
Link please

[Anonymous No.15093155]

>>15083602
I know more tree names in English than in my native language. Most of those trees don't even grow naturally on my country, to add insult to the injury.

[Anonymous No.15094457]

>>15087759
something a bit faster than that

[Anonymous No.15095287]

>Tfw I can name over 30 authors I have read but I have not laid a single woman

Literally what can I do about this? I have an excellent penis, but I don't know the pleasure of the natural feminine gender.

[Anonymous No.15095303]

>>15095287
>anime
Nothing you can do, sorry

[Anonymous No.15095353]

>>15095303
Damn
Chemical castration it is
I just hope my waifu and husbando harem does not mind

[Anonymous No.15095998]

>>15087662
keked and willowpilled

[Anonymous No.15096017]

>>15084410
You are so retarded. Your city is literally surrounded by the green belt, one of only two large forests in the south. Get out there, not to mention that if you take a train too the west you can get on the Ridgeway or further into the Cotswolds

[Anonymous No.15096508]

>>15084463
I heard they smell like cum.

[Anonymous No.15097195]

>>15083602
>ywn go for long walks in the woods with a few peers, noting natural landmarks named by your people long past handed down to you in an unbroken chain of significance so that your very environment becomes an extension of your home and your language is inscribed on the land you love so well.

Why live?

[Anonymous No.15097981]

>>15083602
Thought of another author of DCP's era who may be of interest to you at work this morning- Eric Sloane. See especially Our Vanishing Landscape (1955) and A Reverence for Wood (1965). His titles in general are good (he was a painter obsessed with climatology) and heavily illustrated with fabulous drawings. His books on early American tools and covered bridges are good as well.

[Anonymous No.15098617]

>>15096017
You retard, do you not know what "wilderness means"?

[Anonymous No.15098635]

>>15097195
I do know the names of all my favorite 4chan boards tho

[Anonymous No.15099535]

>>15089576
I've really gotten into birdwatching since I moved onto some land in central Virginia. It is incredibly rewarding. I was going to suggest this to OP because it can (if you so choose) involve so much more than just identifying birds.

Download Merlin Bird ID app. It's created by the Cornell Lab, which is an unbelievable resource for bird watching. The app itself is incredibly fun to use. It will show you a list of birds that you will find in your area depending on the time of year. It has info and multiple calls for each species. Also, has a bird ID option where if you see a bird you don't know, you can submit a few rough characteristics like size, color, and what type of terrain it was seen on (flying, branches, ground, etc...) and it will pull up a list of possible birds in your immediate area for you to look through. It's not always 100%, but it's surprisingly accurate.

It also has a photo feature that is kind of difficult to use as it's difficult to get a clear enough picture of birds for it to work, but it has worked numerous times for me.

Hope you enjoy!

[Anonymous No.15099612]

>>15099535
Commonwealth, represent!
I'm slightly north and west of you in the valley. Pic'd is by a fellow living (or who lived) in your neighborhood. Check it out.

[Anonymous No.15099625]

>>15083602
Lol this lil nigga wasnt a woodcutter in runescape

[Anonymous No.15099632]

>>15099612
I will indeed, thank ya kindly. Yea, I'm between Charlottesville and Richmond. Enjoy this beautiful Spring weather we're having!

[Anonymous No.15099669]

>>15099632
Really an ideal Spring- sad, in a way.
In Augusta County.

[Anonymous No.15099680]

>>15099625
Shit, I knew what a Yew tree was when I was in 4th grade. Also how copper and tin make bronze.

[Anonymous No.15099693]

>>15084458
an incel's grave

[Anonymous No.15099843]

>>15099669
Why sad?

Louisa County here.

[Anonymous No.15099895]

>>15083602
>tfw when can name every tree in the local forest and at least 30 varieties of edible weeds
Feels good, man

>>15098617
"Wilderness" is quite relative. What you might call "wild" is everywhere, if you knew how to look for it

[Anonymous No.15100283]

>>15088410
This is unironically the ultimate guide to North American trees, since Michigan is home to basically every common tree in North America besides the California giants. Michigan Birds is good, although nto as good, for a similar reason

[Anonymous No.15100326]

>>15083672
Did you even read the rest of the post?

[Anonymous No.15100712]

>>15084718
>>15084830
Glancing through a one-volume edition of these and it looks like a really comfy read. Thanks for the rec, anon. This is what I come to /lit/ for.

[Anonymous No.15100843]

>>15083619
I didn't know druids browsed /lit/.

[Anonymous No.15101492]

>>15097981
Thank you anon. I like to draw too, so these are excellent.

[Anonymous No.15102039]

>>15083634
underrated chuckle

[Anonymous No.15102199]

>>15093155
That's rough buddy

[Anonymous No.15102239]

>>15099843

If birds and trees are basics then 'the birds and the trees' are the other basics:

>>15090655

[Anonymous No.15102331]

>>15101492
Amazed this thread's still up, m8- great job. If youre ever East (in Philly, say) the dwarf forest in pic related will blow you away, i.e. is worth the day trip, as impressive in its own way as sequoias, redwoods, and petrified forests. McPhee in general will satisfy your Bryson cravings, but this little number's my favorite. My pop grew up right next to this in Mt. Holly, NJ.

[Anonymous No.15102768]

>>15088410
known for its blueberries here

[Anonymous No.15102963]

I've had this picture for years waiting for a chance to use it.

This is the best opportunity I've had so far.

[Anonymous No.15103591]

>>15099535
Thanks Anon, I'll try it out some time
There's woods a minute's walk outside my building so I have really no excuse

[Anonymous No.15103600]

>>15102239
Not following you, but either way I hope you enjoyed what I assume was a pretty solid snow this morning! Got a dusting here from 3am-7am or so, but nothing stuck. Was pretty for a few minutes though. Hopefully my sexy little veggies and my flower seedlings will survive.

>>15102963
Not bad, keep your eyes peeled for better opportunities though!

[Anonymous No.15103606]

>>15103591
Crazy timing, I just posted this >>15103600

Definitely do it though. No excuse, indeed. Start with the super distinctive calls that you probably hear every day. Where do you live?

On a fun note, I saw my first hummingbird of the year yesterday! Hopefully my feeders will be buzzing this year.

[Anonymous No.15103915]

>>15103600
Here it rained- which is odd because I'm at least 500 ft higher, but being hemmed in by mountains 'radicalizes' weather. I've spent sunny days in C-ville for instance only to cross Afton and hear how it rained all day. ..We did get slushy tennis ball sized hale this time last week when those incredibly violent thunderstorms rolled through (near dawn), however!
>not following you
I miss the social aspects of Spring. Clearly youre either a writer or an escapee!

[Anonymous No.15103956]

>>15103915
Ah, I live relatively isolated on 80 acres with my cat and am relatively new, so I don't have much of a social life outside of work in c'ville. Not much has changed for me with this pandemic shit. I did just get my stimulus check this morning which was a pleasant surprise. I had zero expectations of actually receiving it.

Need to get out to Shenandoah at some point this week, I'm getting restless and need to get off my property for a bit.

[Anonymous No.15104079]

>>15103956
You'll find the towns as vacant of people as your property. I walk my dog and encounter a homeless person or two but that's it. Even cars rarely pass except around 9 and 5..

[Anonymous No.15104296]

>>15104079
Was at the Food Lion in Louisa today at 7:15 am. Plenty of people there, even with the shit weather. With the exceptions of the masks, you'd think it was business as usual in town. It's a little odd considering the stories you read around the rest of the country. Zion Crossroads is busy as all hell too, Lowe's (at least as of a week or two ago) was slammed. C'ville wasn't busy, but was steady last week too as I had to run into town for a specialty item. I'm glad to see not everyone is buying into the hysteria. Caution is one thing, shutting down entirely is another.

>mfw forgot to buy a whole chicken to roast that was on sale

Fuck me. As an aside, I just saw my first Wood Thrush on this property. I've seen Hermit Thrush before, but the woodies are larger and have their speckling down to their legs as opposed to stopping halfway down their breast. Kinda neat.... Another new bird for my list! Life is good out here.

Also, since this is /lit/ and not my faggy blog, I started A River Runs Through it yesterday and am thoroughly enjoying it. One of my all time favorite movies and for some reason have never read the book.