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What trees can teach us on our daily walk

Nature can tell us a lot — if we choose to pay attention.

The natural world harbours clues which can help us pinpoint our location, such as the position of the sun and stars. But there are signs closer to the ground that we can easily pick up and use, too.

Speaking on the Scotland Outdoors podcast, Natural Navigator, Tristan Gooley, revealed that studying trees can help us identify where we are.

“Natural navigation is all about puzzle solving, he explained. "It starts with a really simple question: 'Which way am I looking?', and we can use signs to answer that."

Get close to trees to discover where you are. (Image: Tuna Olger/Pixabay)

If your daily exercise route crosses through parks or woodland, these tips can help you get started.

Look at the size of the trees

According to Tristan, the height of trees compared to others nearby can reveal a lot: “Trees near the south west edge of any exposed woodland are shorter. They grow shorter when they’re hit by the wind, and our winds come from the south west, most often."

Check the size of leaves

Exposure to sunlight will impact the size of leaves, as Tristan explains: "Leaves on the south side of trees are smaller, lighter in colour and thicker to feel because they’re sun leaves. On the north side of the tree they are bigger, darker and thinner because they are shade leaves".

Look for the tick shape

Trees react to their environment, says Tristan.

"They need light… so they grow towards it. Over time what happens is if a branch and the leaves and the twigs on it are harvesting light and energy, and producing more energy, the tree directs more resources there and grows bigger. So we end up with bigger, longer, stronger branches on the south side.

"Because they’re growing towards the light the branches on the south side grow towards the southern sun which is closer to horizontal. On the north side there’s no direct sun so they grow up closer to vertical to the brightest area, which is the sky. This gives us what I call the 'tick effect'."

From root to tip, trees can reveal clues to natural navigators. (Image: Eva Wilcock/Unsplash)

Are roots visible?

Tristan suggests tree roots can act as a reliable compass.

"A lot of people imagine roots are only visible underground, but we often see them melding into the trunk above ground. They’re passing up water and minerals to the tree but one of their main jobs is structural, as guy ropes. These guy roots grow bigger, longer and stronger on the side the wind comes from: the south western side."