“Trees are social beings, they can count, learn, remember… and even nurse sick neighbors.” Through the underground “wood wide web,” they share nutrients, warn of danger, and nurture one another — revealing a hidden world of forest synergy, friendship and cooperation. 🌳Here are some of the most remarkable insights from The Hidden Life of Trees written by Peter Wohlleben: 🌳Trees communicate through scent and electrical signals: Trees can send distress signals when they’re under attack (like from insects). They release chemical compounds into the air to warn neighboring trees, which then boost their own defenses — like producing bitter-tasting leaves. 🌳The “Wood Wide Web” – the underground network: Through mycorrhizal fungi connected to their roots, trees can share water, carbon, nitrogen, and information. Wohlleben describes this as a kind of social network — older, “mother trees” even favor their own offspring, supplying them with extra nutrients. 🌳Trees have a form of memory and learning: Some trees “remember” experiences, like drought, and adjust their behavior in future seasons. Beech trees, for example, regulate their seed production based on past conditions — a kind of strategic planning. 🌳They care for each other: Wohlleben tells stories of stumps still kept alive by neighboring trees that send sugars and nutrients to them through the root network. It’s as if the forest doesn’t forget its own. 🌳They can recognize family: Studies show that trees can distinguish their own kin from strangers. They allocate resources differently based on this — just like a kind of tree-based favoritism rooted in evolutionary cooperation. 🌳Tree societies follow their own rules: Forests act almost like communities. Fast-growing, selfish trees that try to outcompete their neighbors often die young. The ones that “cooperate,” sharing light and nutrients, live longer and create more resilient ecosystems. 📝In case you missed it we have an incredible write-up on The Sacred Trees: Medicine, Myths + Messages from the Elders. Linked in bio. #trees #sacredtrees #biophilia #wearenature #community #livingbeings #nature #naturelovers #naturaleza #natureisart #treestagram