Lecture: When Trees Testify: Living With and Learning From Trees

About this event

Co-Sponsored with: Join us for a compelling talk with biologist and author Beronda L. Montgomery as she discusses her new book, When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History and America’s Black Botanical Legacy. Drawing from science, ecology, and lived experience, Montgomery invites us to reconsider trees not simply as background elements of the landscape, but as dynamic, communicative beings that offer insight into resilience, interdependence, and adaptation. In this thoughtful presentation, she explores how trees “testify” through their growth patterns, responses to stress, and relationships with surrounding ecosystems—revealing lessons that extend beyond the natural world into how we understand community, care, and survival. Blending scientific research with reflective storytelling, Montgomery encourages audiences to slow down, observe more deeply, and reconsider what it means to learn from the living world. A reception with the opportunity to purchase When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History and America’s Black Botanical Legacy and book signing will follow the lecture. Join us before the event for an in-person tour of Scott Arboretum & Gardens. Early access registration opens on September 14 for members of the sponsoring organizations. Members of the Scott Arboretum & Gardens will receive an email with registration details. Registration will open to the public on September 28. Program Details Due to limited seating, only in-person registrants can attend the live event. There will be no live stream available, but those registered will receive access to the recording. Registration is free. Email us if you have accessibility needs for this program. For more information, review our program and event policies or call the Scott office at 610-328-8025 About the Presenter Beronda L. Montgomery, PhD, is a writer, science communicator, and professor. Her research group investigates how photosynthetic organisms adapt to changes in their external…