Meet the trees of UP while they still have their leaves

Do we as students ever look up at our tall, sappy, prickly friends and think, “What have you seen? And more importantly, how do you feel about it?”

Get ready, Pilots; here are some of the most prominent trees on campus. Run outside and hug one before they become too damp to cuddle with! 

Meet the twin ladies of the library, ladies and gentlemen! Let’s call them Phyllis and Irene. According to Director of Environmental Studies Steven Kolmes, all of the trees on campus are relatively young, but they still have stories to tell. From people dropping open boxes of food face down to the proud strut of a student who finished her project not minutes, but hours, before the deadline, they’ve seen it all. The branches closest to each other may be too short for high-fives or shoulder pats (RIP dropped food boxes), but be assured, they’re trying. They’re proud of you, boo.

Next up is the hunched old man, Herbert, that covers the pathway from the library to Franz. He needs more praise than we can give, honestly. The low-hanging branches have shielded many an individual from the large raindrops that have been hurled from an angry cloud when he or she really, really just needed to answer this one text before class. He’s doing his best to help us out, but sometimes he isn’t necessarily equipped for all that he does (take note: watch for falling branches!). He’ll keep overexerting himself until he literally cannot do it anymore, but we love him tons.

The trees on UP’s campus have some strong personalities that can only be described as “a lot, but, like, in a good way.” This individual really likes to stand out, as you can see from the orange to green ombre effect in the leaves. Also, the tree is a little separated from the other trees around. It provides one of the best sitting spots on campus on a dry day, perfect for reading or for talking to your family on the phone.

In all, the trees on campus are here for us just like the rest of UP. Go out and hug a tree!