The zillionth time this happens is still a wondrous moment. Don’t harm the germinating seed, your grandchildren may one day call it their favourite tree. Behold! There is another green being beginning life in companionship.

Lofty trees with graceful crowns are the best legacy for descendants of a future century, people we shall never know the names of. They depend on our sensible living habits. Such hopes rest on enough people caring enough for the trees of their world, sparing enough of them from the saw. And planting more.

Sharing a moment to watch this with a child transmits awareness of forest and tree spirit as easily as the seed grows.