We all need to get planting!

 Was watching Countryfile last night and it was about the Mourne Mountains aka Narnia and they were saying that Northern Ireland has the lowest native tree cover in Europe with something like 0.04 percent tree cover.

Considering a squirrel could have went from one end of the country to the other across the treetops as 80% of the land mass of this island at one time was forest, the fact we now have the lowest tree cover is so sad!

Somethings not right, we are the home of the ancient Ogham tree alphabet, our ancient culture is steeped with trees and nature.

I remember reading also that the majority of our town and street names are named after trees in English or in Gaelic.

I always find this sad too that when I'm out delivering I get to know street names quite well and when I would drive into an area called say the hawthorns or the oaks, never do you see hawthorns or oaks planted here.

You'd think someone would twig that when building these new developments and naming them after trees you'd plant the trees it was named after in the gardens of the new houses. But they dont, they plant non native rubbish like laurels.

Apparently though in many cases when they built these housing developments they named them after the trees that were mostly cut down to make way for the houses. I've see this done in a part of Belfast called Hawthorn Glen, it literally was a Hawthorn Glen before the houses where there.

The reality is most of our leaders dont care about nature, they come in for a few years term, line their pockets like kids in a sweetie shop and off they go! 

Not faulting you guys as I would have did the same myself one time before I found Buddha and seen the true nature of reality. The interconnectedness and interdependence of all that exists. 

Karma gets us all in the end though living like a parasite.

Keep your own Karma right guys, be mindful what we are taking from nature and not returning. In Buddhism there are so many realms of existence, how we interact with the world and nature around us on a personal basis determines what realms we move in and out off.

I had a conversation with a councillor years ago at the start of my phantom planting, they acted like they owned the land and that I need permission to plant trees. I said in the most humble way, what do you really care about these apple trees being here, in a few years time your position will be replaced and you'll probably never give these trees a second thought again.

They knew I was right and my trees are still standing today.

Get out and plant some trees today guys, native if possible, I've added a pic of the Ogham tree alphabet, all trees here native to the Emerald Isle.

Why not spell your name in a ring of trees, stand inside in years to come and see what magic happens to you.

The other pic is from planting hawthorns a couple of years back and its where I'm heading today - The Mourne Mountains aka Narnia!

Peace and love 

The Phantom Planter