Live Oak Provides
Tree Tag #2732 on Baylor's Sustainability Map
By Parker Peszynski for Dr. Joshua King's ENG 2301: British Literature class, Fall 2025
This reflection is part of a series of “Tree Stories” by Baylor students that take root in their observations about a tree on campus, branch into connections between their tree and their experiences and education, and leaf out into a creative response to the tree.
Welcome
In this reflection of my time spent with this tree over the semester, I have noticed how much trees provide to us, which if it weren’t for this project, I would have never though about. I hope in reading this reflection, you too begin to notice the many things trees provide to us and why they are important to take care of.
Roots
Over this Semester, I have observed this Live Oak tree (Quercus virginiana) located between the Carroll Science building and the SUB. This tree initially stood out to me due to its appearance and its location. Its appearance is striking with branches that shoot off almost horizontally creating much needed shade in this busy area of campus. This busy location means that this tree is used for many things over the course of a semester. The most common was creating shade for students who were eating or doing homework on the near by benches. This tree was also used to hang banners from for various events that occur over the semester. This tree also served as a place for wildlife on campus like birds and squirrels to hide away and take a break from the business of the campus below. As another note, I found it cool how there are three live oaks next to each other. These trees all have branches that reach out horizontally, almost as if they are reaching out towards each other. In researching this tree, I found that its ancestors have been used for many years as a construction material due to its durability and hardness. Wood from these trees was used in the construction of the USS Constitution, the only wooden vessel left in the U.S. Navy.
Branches
As noted above, I have been observing this tree all semester and have made some striking observations in doing so. The thing I observed most often, was how much the campus relies on the live oak tree without even realizing it. This tree provides shade on a hot day or shelter on a day with unexpected rain. Often, I noticed that everyone reaping the benefits the tree is providing, never gave the tree a second thought and never thought about how the tree is providing something for them. Another observation I made was how the tree always stands tall and is nearly perfect despite all the hustle and bustle happening all around it. This observation reminded me of a poem we read in class this semester called "Nutting" by William Wordsworth. In this poem, he describes his experience walking through a forest of hazelnut trees to collect hazelnuts. He describes a untouched patch of trees when he says “I came to one dear nook Unvisited, where not a broken bough Droop'd with its wither'd leaves, ungracious sign Of devastation.”(14-16) This quote reminds me of this tree on campus as like in the story, there is chaos around the tree, but this tree stands tall and unbroken. This speaks to the resilience of the tree and its ability to provide for everything around it.
Leaves
Introduction
For my creative portion to this project, I chose to do a painting. In the center of the painting is the live oak tree with plenty of leaves and standing tall. Underneath the tree, there is a singular person walking by under the shade of the tree. This is meant to show how the tree is providing the shade without the person giving it a second thought. This relates to a poem called "A Dumb Friend" by Christina Rossetti where she says “It still will bud in spring, and shed rare leaves In autumn, and in summer heat give shade, And warmth in winter; when my bed is made In shade the cypress weaves.”(25-28) Here, Rossetti is describing a tree she grew up around and how it provides for her in each season, much like the live oak is providing for the students walking by on campus. While Rossetti obviously is aware of the things the tree is providing her, I think it still parallels the tree on campus despite most people who reap the benefits of the tree never give it a second thought.
Creative Response
Works Cited
Rossetti, Christina. A Dumb Friend
Sustainability | Baylor University, sustainability.web.baylor.edu/. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
Wordsworth, William. “Nutting.”