As the world opened up and on one of the warm days in July, we found ourselves unexpectedly in Green Park in London, planning to spend 30 minutes over a quick sandwich.
The park is a lovely space all year round but in the Summer the trees make a stunning natural green display, a majestic context for the architecture all around the park.
That would have been enough to put an extra spring in our steps – as tree nerds, we never stop noticing, admiring, wondering about trees, wherever we go – so imagine lovely surprise we had when we came on a herd of Indian elephants wandering through the park!
The herd represents the CoExistence Project, an environmental art exhibition featuring 100 life size lantana elephants. The elephants are making their way around the globe to tell the story of our over-populated planet, the effect of human encroachment on wild spaces and the inspiring ways we can coexist with animals
Each elephant was handcrafted by the tribal communities in the Nilgiri Hills of Southern India, home to 150 wild elephants, and a quarter of a million people who live alongside them in harmony.
They’re so sensitively sculpted that it was easy to imagine them wandering gently through the park as a huge family group, admiring the trees and valuing their shade as we did on a hot day. And it reminded us about the useful work we can do in support of trees in our local landscapes, the range of options that we can offer to look after trees and extend their value for the wider benefit of us all.
For advice about your trees? Call Andrew a call on 01256 817369, 07771883061 or email him at Andrew@primarytreesurgeons.co.uk for advice and a free quote.