Value of a shade tree

The July weather has been more like August since the very day I set out.  After I pedaled onto the eastern (rainshadow) side of the continental divide, it's even hotter and drier, and each day I am coming to appreciate the value of a good shade tree more and more.  Since it is dry, it is not really the temperature that bothers me.  It's the intensity of the sun.  Relief comes the instant a passing cloud blocks the sun or I'm able to pass into shade, whether it's from the side of a building or the shadow of a car; (sometimes it's necessary to get a little creative to find any shade).  The best shade of all comes from a nice tree.  Cottonwoods only grow along the rivers here--they need the water.  

Mighty trees.  Rustling leaves.  Cool, refreshing shade.  Lifegiving! Rejuvenating.  Relief for hot & weary cyclists! I have new appreciation for the prophet Isaiah's description of God "For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat;"

 Shade from a big tree is life giving to us humans, and life changing for plants and animals that can enjoy the way these trees create a microclimate under the refuge of their branches. Cottonwoods are called keystone species for their abundance and the importance of the ecological role they play in the riparian environment (the land by the river). 

Beavers are another keystone; by creating their dams, they alter the landscape.  Their engineering affects the recharge of underground acquifers, and the purity and storage of water in the river system by affecting the water flow.  During the fur trade in the first half of the 1800's, they were nearly trapped out of existence.  With their recovery, their increasing presence has been showing scientists just how important their role is in a healthy river ecology.  Amy, Sundee & I enjoyed watching a pair of them in the river as we waited for the sun to come up.