Member-only story
‘Crown Shyness’
or maybe: ‘Arboreal Breathing Space’
Crown shyness is the phenomenon where the uppermost branches of certain tree species grow close together but never quite touch. From the ground, it looks as if the treetops are politely keeping their distance, creating delicate, lace-like gaps against the sky.
(Story edited to add: this is most often seen in species like eucalyptus, camphor trees, and some pines and oaks.)
No one knows exactly why they do this — some say it’s to reduce the spread of insects or disease; others that it’s to prevent damage from brushing against each other in the wind.
Whatever the reason, there’s something lovely about this natural expression of boundary and restraint. These towering trees, reaching towards the sky, somehow know not to crowd each other.
They grow in community but not in collision. In a world that so often encourages closeness at all costs, the trees remind us that leaving room — between leaves, between lives — can be just as beautiful as leaning in.
