oh…

Source (I think):
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/07/when-you-give-a-tree-an-email-address/398210/

[image ID:
12 images.

Image 1: A screenshot of an Atlantic article by Adrienne Lafrance from 10th July 2015, titled “When You Give a Tree an Email Address”, with the following subtitle:

The city of Melbourne assigned trees email addresses so citizens could report problems. Instead, people wrote thousands of love letters to their favourite trees.

The header image depicts a wide tree-lined path in a park, with the vanishing point of either side of the path leading to a modern-style building. The trees are fairly broad, and tall enough that the leaning branches on either side of the path form a roof of green leaves that nearly completely covers the building. Dappled sunlight filters through onto the path which is covered in leaf litter and shedd blossoms.

Image 2 and 3 are excerpts from the article that read as following:
Then the emails began to arrive. Milman writes that instead of damage reports, people began to write fan mail to trees, complimenting their looks and leaves and telling tales of how they’d helped them survive during inclement weather. Some trees even write back.

“My dearest Ulmus,” the message began. “As I was leaving St. Mary’s College today I was struck, not by a branch, but by your radiant beauty. You must get these messages all the time. You’re such an attractive tree.” This is an excerpt of a letter someone wrote to a green-leaf elm, one of thousands of messages in an ongoing correspondence between the people of Melbourne, Australia, and the city’s trees.

Image 4-11 are messages overlaid onto photographs of trees. The messages do not appear in the Atlantic article.

Image 4: hey,
how ya doing?
-me
p.s would you consider your fingers to be your branches or your roots?

The tree in the image is by a busy road and bus lane, and is tall and thin with paired spindly branches. It has thin layers of pale green leaves, especially on the lower branches, with a clump of vibrant dark green leaves at the very top. Behind it is a looming hotel with a restaruant on the ground floor.

Image 5: Dear Rose Gum,
Over the past year I have cycled by you each day and want you to know how much joy you give me. No matter the weather or what is happening around you, you are strong, elegant and beautiful. I wanted you to know.
Love.

The image is of a shorter tree with a straight narrow trunk, alternating branches, and floret-like clumps of very dark green leaves. Behind it is a grassy area and juvenile trees, and in front is a path with a lamppost and a cyclist speeding past in high-vis clothing.

Image 6: Dear Nettle,
I just moved in three months ago and I’m very glad that I can talk to you through this system. I live in the first floor and I can actually see you through my window! I’m having trouble sleeping at night because of the noise of cars and ambulances at night, hope you’re not suffering that much and be able to have a good sleep. Thank you for blocking the noises from the street and wish the birds don’t do harm to you. Pleasant to meet you and have a nice day!
Cheers!

The tree in the image is short, the same height as a lamppost in the foreground. The tree is placed in a small square of soil surrounded by concrete. It has smoothish grey bark, with slender alternating branches. It is almost entirely devoid of leaves, with a few clumps of green hanging on at the very top of the tree. Behind is a carpark, and two shorter older buildings next to a modern block of apartments.

Image 7: Hello tree.
I don’t actually know you, but recently I’ve been wondering what trees say. A friend of mine gave me your contact information, so I thought I would go straight to the source. So here is my question: what would you tell people if you could speak?

The tree in the image is very tall, with a slender patchy trunk and alternating branches. The tree feels very open, with green leaves decorating all around the outline of the tree, leaving the branches very unobscured. This tree is also situated in a small square of dirt, surrounded by large paving stones. An empty bus lane is front, with an enourmous art deco style building  behind with large windows and many ridges and layers creating depth.

Image 8: Dear beautiful grassland gum,
I know things may get a little glume-y when you only have grasses for company, but today is your day to shine! Happy National Eucalypt Day!
Your friend.

The tree in this image is surrounded by short grass, with a tall round tree and near a bench far away in the background. The gumtree in the foreground has a leaning twisting crooked trunk, and alternating branches that bend and curve and warp. Dark green leaves are only present on the very ends of the branches, forming a crown of pom-pom shapes separate from each other. Fluffy fragmented cirrocumulous clouds adorn the brilliant sky, with the sun casting long shadows on the lone gum tree.

Image 9: Hi Tree 1022794,
How’s it going? I walk past you each day at uni, it’s really great to see you out in the sun now that the scaffolding is down around Building 100. Hope it all goes well with the photosynthesis.
All the best.

The tree in this image is short, without any leaves, with the trunk splitting into two branches about 4 meters up. Behind it is a red-brick building with dark windows, sandy coloured trims, and art-deco style arches below the roofline. Behind this building are two enourmous modern buildings, the left one with countless tiny windows, the right a curved building bursting with greenery all along every floor.

Image 10: Dear Smooth-barked Apple Myrtle.
I am your biggest admirer. I have always wanted to meet you, but tragically, I’m stuck in New York. I think you are the most handsome tree of them all, tall with an inviting open canopy. I love to just dream of you, the smell of your clusters of white flowers, the sight of your lush, dark green foliage, and feel of your patterned bark. You inspire me to live life to the fullest, and pursue my dreams; you keep growing despite the terrible tragedies in this world. You are loved and deserve the world. Love, some person in New York.

The tree in this image is in a park, with modern buildings in the distance. The tree has a tall uninterrupted trunk that wiggles and curves back and forth. Paired branches that are similarly wiggly lead to clusters of leaves on the outline of the tree, leaving the interior unobscured.

Image 11: Dear Magnificent River Red Gum,
I admire you every day as I walk past you on my way to and from work. You seem to have been around for some time. Is there any chance that you were here for longer than the time of white settlement? You look to me to be substantially older than any of the other trees around Princes Park. Is this true? Does this entitle you to any special treatment? How old might you be? Hopefully you will outlast me in the land of the living. I am very interested to know more of your history. Regards and hope you enjoyed the rain this weekend after such a long dry month.

The tree in this image has a wide rough-barked trunk, with a smooth black covering warpped around the base. The trunk bends as it travel upwards, still noticeably thick as it passes the top of the image. Unpaired thick wavy branches sprout from the central trunk, with small branches and leaf-covered twigs directly offshooting from them. The tree is situated in a park, next to a footpath with people walking by.

Image 12: crying cat wait hold on a minute i think i need a moment wait meme.

A pixel black outline drawing of a white cat opening a door. The eyes have been replaced with clip-art-emoji style pleading eyes with tears gathering beneath and a teardrop falling. Text has been added next to the art that reads

wait. hold on a minute. i think i need a moment wait. wait, wait. hold on. i need a moment. i need. to sit down i think wait. wait. old honh on, wait, please i am breaking down. hold on, wai

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