“Pass!” Anna the little girl yelled. She swung and missed! The ball went a few yards past her and stopped by a tree. “You see that?” I questioned. “See what?” Anna asked. “Those roots!” I answered. At this point we were over by the tree and Anna was listening closely to what I had to say. “These are called girdling roots and they are harmful to the tree because they cut off the cambium layer and th . . .” “The what layer?” “The cambium layer is so important because it holds the xylem and phloem, a tree’s transportation systems for food and water.” I finished. “Can you say that again? I don’t understand” Anna asked. “So these are called girdling roots and they hurt the tree because it cuts off the cambium layer. The cambium layer holds the xylem and phloem which bring the food and water to the parts of the tree that need it.” I repeated. “Ohhhh!” Anna said. “I understand.” This was an amazing and fun experience for me to share my knowledge.
