Life...

From website http://thefamilyfarm.ie/forestry

There has been a couple of days when it has rained. Most of the times when it rains it happens during the night, so when I wake up and go outside I notice that the dirt is always wet. Days can pass and the dirt still seems to be wet. I began to wonder during my observations, how long does it take for the tree to absorb all of the water and how does the water travel through the huge tree. Sure, it seems like a simple answer, right? Well, turns out that there is a whole big process trees go through to get water in themselves. Water doesn't just go up the roots.

Most of the time trees look to be healthy. With the research I have done I was able to learn a great deal of how trees seem to maintain this look thanks to the article "How A Tree Absorbs and Uses Water" by Steven Nix. The first step is getting the water into the trees which is by the roots, but after that "Any dissolved mineral nutrients travel with it upward through the xylem" (Nix). The leaves are the ones that get most of the water, so they can be healthy. The atmosphere is actually the enemy in this case because it's the one who steals all of the tree's water through a process call evaporation. During the summer a tree can "lose several hundred gallons of water through its leaves"(Nix). As for the winter it's the opposite because it doesn't lose any water (Nix). The way the tree can absorb all the water to keep itself living is fascinating. To read more of the article just follow this link http://forestry.about.com/od/treephysiology/p/tree_water.htm.

Trees are humans as well. Either if we are plants, trees, animals, or humans we all depend on water. Water is life because it is what keeps all organisms alive. And even if some of us can't walk such as trees they are still able to get it one way or another. After reading the article I actually felt guilty because on hot summer days I barely water my tree. I know right, what a jerk. When I read that trees use that "10% [of water]that remains keeps the living tree system healthy and maintains growth," it actually blew my mind(Nix). Trees hold on to that little bit of water for dear life. Think about this during the hot summers when that tree is looking healthy and strong, but only has that tiny percent of water in them. Looks can be deceiving.

From website www.britannica.com

                                                                 Works Cited

Nix, Steven. "How A Tree Absorbs and Uses Water." about education. About.com. 2014. Web. 7                           Nov. 2014.