"When I first learned about Priyanka Kumar's new book, The Light Between Apple Trees: Rediscovering the Wild Through a Beloved American Fruit, I wondered how the title could work its way into a book-length manuscript. I rapidly discovered how well it did in myriad, fascinating, and unexpected ways. Much of her book reminded me of my own views on the importance of personal rewilding—rewilding our hearts—and every page contained an important inspirational message."
"During my childhood in the Himalayan foothills, for some years, I lived in the mountains, among mature apple trees. Unbeknownst to me, those trees took root in my heart. Several years back, while hiking near my home in Santa Fe, I stumbled upon a private apple orchard. In the weeks that followed, I also discovered feral apple trees and saw signs that some of the trees were being visited by a bear! This was my "aha" moment: I began to see possibilities in the micro-wild, how it can help support everything from the hummingbird to the bear."
Experiencing micro-wilds around apple trees expands the meaning of biodiversity by revealing complex interactions among cultivated, feral, and wild species. Historically, America celebrated roughly 16,000 named apple varieties, but fewer than one-fifth remain accessible today. Observations of feral and historic orchards show many trees thriving despite neglect and attracting wildlife such as hummingbirds and bears. Personal rewilding of attention and care can reconnect humans to local ecological phenomena and revive appreciation for genetic and cultural diversity in apples. Rediscovering apple trees in national forests, parks, and old orchards highlights opportunities for conservation, localized stewardship, and renewed ecological awareness.
Read at Psychology Today
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