KHS December program features trees

Most of our birds are migratory. They come and go and you must be on the alert to see them at the right time and place. Most of our flowers have only a brief blooming period. You must look for them at a certain time of year if you wish to find them in all their beauty and fragrance. But the trees we always have with us. With them there is no hurry. They stand there summer and winter, year in and out, in all kinds of weather. Many have been standing for more than a century. This presentation is to introduce them and rouse the observer’s interest to the large, breathtaking trees around us. We are fortunate to have two “National Champions,” the largest of a particular species in all the United States. Maine has more than 160 different kinds of trees.

If you look at a group of 100 trees in a small area, you will see at least 10 different species.

The presenter, Duane Prugh, graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in electrical engineering. He is now a semi-retired computer consultant. For the past 15 years, he has been teaching at several of Maine’s Senior Colleges, taking local seniors on field trips to explore dozens of these sites. There is so much to see in our own state, and his goal is to get our senior students out of their homes for day trips to explore sites in Maine that most people don’t know exist.

The Kennebec Historical Society December presentation is free to the public (donations gladly accepted) and will take place on Wednesday, December 14, at 6:30 p.m., at the Augusta City Center, located at 16 Cony Street in Augusta.