Patch Blog: Stories About Cali Trees

South Pasadena is nicknamed “The City of Trees” and is an official “Tree City USA.” It seems only natural for the Library to present a program about the large woody plants that surround us and beautify our lives.

Matt Ritter, author of the just-released “A Californian’s Guide to the Trees among Us” will be appearing as part of a dual Author Night event in the Thursday, Sep. 15 at 7:00 p.m. along with Laura Cunningham whose “A State of Change: Forgotten Landscapes of California” is garnering lots of praise from general readers, researchers, and art lovers.

The urban trees of South Pasadena muffle noise, create wildlife habitats, mitigate pollution, conserve energy and make urban living healthier and more peaceful. Ritter’s guide serves as both an identification guide and a celebration that teaches us how to look at a tree and how to best enjoy it. “A Californian’s Guide to the Trees among Us” provides the stories behind the trees that shade our parks, grace our yards, and line our streets.  The book enhances our understanding of the positive impact of trees on our society, culture and environment.

Matt Ritter has a Ph.D. and is a botany professor at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He is also Director of the Plant Conservatory there. Ritter holds a fellowship at the National Tropical Botanical Gardens, is a Visiting Scholar at the UC Santa Cruz arboretum, and is the chair of the City of San Luis Obispo Tree Committee.

Combining the skill of an accomplished artist with her training as a naturalist, Laura Cunningham has spent more than two decades studying historical accounts and archaeological data while traveling with paintbrushes in hand to track the last vestiges of semi-pristine landscapes in California. She’s done all the work to reveal the way it was in pre-settlement California.

For “A State of Change,” Laura created paintings of vast landscapes and wildlife from the data she collected, her observations in the wild, and her knowledge of ecological processes. He book has been called “A California classic,” “A natural history masterpiece,” and an “imaginative tour de force.” It realistically traces the evolution of a diverse region, once home to ancient striped horses and cheetahs.

The program Thursday is sponsored by the and the . Special thanks to Heyday Books, the publisher of both new titles. Thanks also to Libros Schmibros, a nonprofit lending library and bookstore in Boyle Heights.

The Community Room is located at 1115 El Centro Street in South Pasadena.  The program is free and no tickets or reservations are necessary. Refreshments will be served and autographed books will be available for purchase.

Check back with Patch tomorrow interviews with the authors.