Although UC Berkeley students don’t often admit their love for trees (for obvious reasons — we’re not about to cherish the enemy’s mascot, now are we?), we really are tree-huggers at heart. Some trees around campus stand out among the rest, however. So we at the Clog decided to list some of our favorites:
1) VLSB’s weeping willow. This beauty is situated right on Strawberry Creek, so you can settle in with a good book and focus on the sounds of liquid nature. Think Rory’s study tree on “Gilmore Girls” — it’ll mold just perfectly to your back.
2) The Stephens Hall forest. Directly through the archway of the beautiful Stephens Hall is a quiet and dimly lit refuge, with only a few benches scattered about for those rare and serious tree lovers. We recommend you spend some time there in this intimately exclusive location before everyone else finds it!
3) Eucalyptus grove. These massive giants in Strawberry Creek never cease to amaze us, and their unique history makes them pretty special.
4) The infamous Pollarded London Plane trees. What, not so infamous? Think Campanille esplanade and Upper Sproul — yeah, those ones. While their knobby structures are not the most beautiful sight in the winter, they actually are quite nice in the spring and summer. And think about it: What would Sproul be without them?
5) The chancellor’s foliage. If you’ve never spent time around the chancellor’s house, go do some exploring. There are some beautiful trees between University House and Haviland Hall that make you feel more like you’re in the middle of a rainforest rather than in the middle of a college campus.
Do you have any favorite campus trees? Let us know in the comments!
Contact Sarah Branoff at [email protected]