One of the most majestic trees in America is the beech tree. If they are given the space to grow in, beech tree canopies can reach heights of 140 feet or more, spreading their beautiful limbs and leaves over parts of the forest like a massive umbrella.

“Traditionally, the beech tree is called ‘Queen of the Mother of the Woods,’ sharing a place of honor with the kingly oak,” wrote Catherine Marriott about a bit of old English folklore.

Marriott, a British psychotherapist, who calls her place of practice “The Beech Tree,” notes people in Medieval times revered this stately tree. They believed, for example, that no harm could befall a lost traveler who sought shelter under its branches; that prayers said under a beech tree went straight to heaven; and that if you carried a piece of beech wood as a talisman, it brought you good luck.

Today, the beech tree may not have the same symbolic clout that it once had, but its wood and fruit, nonetheless, are indispensable to both mankind and wildlife.

For instance, beech lumber is used to make flooring, tool handles, baskets, plywood, furniture veneer, and railroad ties. Beer drinkers know that Budweiser beer is aged in fermentation tanks lined with beech wood; that the wood makes excellent firewood; and the trees, themselves, are used in landscaping as residential shade trees.

Elsewhere, fruit from the beech tree, called beech nuts, provide nutritious food for a variety of animals, like black bears, white tail deer, squirrels, porcupines and ruffed grouse.

Cavity-dwelling animals, like fisher cats and flying squirrels also make their homes in beech trees, including some species of birds.

There are at least 11 species of beech trees growing in Europe, Asia and North America.

The European beech or common beech (Fagus sylvatica) and the copper or purple beech (Fagus sylvatica purpurea), for example, are recognized by their smooth, grey bark, glossy green or dark leaves, with saw-toothed edges, and tall, stately crowns.

If managed, these beautiful trees can live for more than 350 years.

Finally, have you ever wondered why some beech (and oak) trees retain their leaves through the winter?

In an article from Northern Woodlands magazine called “Why do some leaves persist on beech and oak trees well into winter,” author Michael Snyder provides some fascinating clues: “The thinking is that retaining leaves until spring could be a means of slowing the decomposition of the leaves (they would rot faster if on the ground) and that dropping them in spring delivers organic material at a time when it is most needed by the growing parent tree,” wrote Snyder.

The author also suggests that retained leaves might provide some frost protection for buds and new twigs over the winter or simply be a deterrent to browsing deer and moose.

“Buds hidden by clusters of dead leaves do not get eaten and thus live to become new shoots and leaves in spring,” Snyder wrote.

These answers and more are exactly why I find the world of nature so captivating.

Bill Hobbs lives in Stonington. He can be reached for comments at whobbs246@gmail.com.