Trees and Shade

In the diverse tropical forests of Central and South America, one tree is easy to recognize — the Cecropia tree. But its who lives inside of it that makes it especially interesting.

Trees have been inspiring artists for centuries — including musicians. Host Nalini Nadkarni looks at a piece of classical music that tells the story of the generations who passed beneath a grove of Roman pine trees.

A wooden pencil seems pretty simple — a cylinder of wood, a tube of graphite and an eraser. But pencils and trees have a history that’s been shaped by the economics and ecology of different tree species.