“Trees speak to the mind, and tell us many things, and teach us many good lessons,” wrote a 17th-century gardener in contemplating the spiritual uses of our arboreal companions, which Hermann Hesse called “the most penetrating of preachers.” Perhaps because they have been our silent friends since the dawn of humanity and remain the oldest living things in the world, trees have been central to our ancient mythology and our sensemaking metaphors of science. So powerful is our bond that they can save our lives and we theirs.

That abiding bond is what Spanish multimedia storytelling outfit Kauri celebrates in the beautiful short film The Silent Friends:

Complement this cinematic ode with a photographic homage to the world’s oldest trees and a breathtaking Japanese pop-up book celebrating the cycle of life through the metaphor of the tree.