On planet Earth today we celebrate the trees! Those beloved beings that give us oxygen, shade, fruit, wood, and provide homes to many creatures. Thus, the scent for today is the botanical perfume Q, devoted to the California native Oak, the Coastal Live Oak Quercus agrifolia.
I speak for the trees,
for the trees have no tongues.”
– Dr. Suess
Let’s be crystal clear here, the Palm, more a grass than a tree, that has become emblematic with Los Angeles is not native to this region. Further south it is…but not in LA. Thousands, maybe more, native Oak trees have been removed for the sake of human housing and industry. To add insult to injury folk have been removing oaks and replacing them with palms to create an “exotic” feel to their homes. Hello? Even the City of LA does this! Oak trees give us shade, convert Co2 into oxygen, provide homes to beneficial insects and wildlife and aesthetically work beautifully with other native plants to bestow an authentic style to a Los Angeles home.
I leave you with this clip from Lord of the Rings.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTFP9QQzEL4&hl=en&fs=1&w=425&h=344]
Get a sample of Q botanical perfume at our shop on Etsy
A few posts about Q and the Oak here at our journal
The California Oak Foundation
Arbor Day Foundation