A visit to Kew Gardens' Shirley Sherwood Gallery unexpectedly transported me into the living world of trees - through the brushstrokes of botanical artists. What began as an appreciation of art unfolded into a reflection on conifers, climate resilience, biodiversity, and why we must rethink our assumptions about woodland ecosystems.

Trees relax me What is it about trees? For some reason they relax me, especially in this month of May. It is a month when the weather is...