Guardians of the Seeds - Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

A midsummer vacation took us north to Maine, specifically the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, ME, where a giant treasure hunt is taking place. Thomas Dambo, a Danish artist has been building and creating with wood since he was five. Known as a "recycle art activist", his trolls can be found worldwide, sharing a global connection and telling a story of sustainability. The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens are the home of five of his magical personalities, with each troll telling a story about the importance of trees. Dambo's team, staff from the botanical gardens, and over 150 volunteers took approximately two months to create this garden adventure. A map is provided, a few instructions offered (don't climb on the trolls, for example), and we were off to discover the Guardians of the Seeds. The easiest troll to find is Roskva, which stands for Trunk of the tree. She knows that a tree trunk has many lives from supporting a tree, to providing habitat and food for different animals. Eventually, the trunk will become a part of the soil, and new life will begin again.

Meet Birk, he holds the roots of the tree. Birk understands that the tree's roots are as big as the branches above ground, and that the connection between roots is invaluable, providing a wood-wide web to signal distress as the roots communicate with each other.

Tucked in amongst the forest greens is Lilja. She knows that everybody including the insects of the forest needs flowers, and she holds the scent of the flowers of the tree.

This whimsical troll is Soren, and he sticks up for the Branches of the tree since he knows that many animals call the treetop home, from birds and animals nesting to certain lichen and plants that only live in trees. 

And Gro smiles with the Leaves of the tree. Gro understands that leaves turn sunlight into food.

What a fun quest it was to discover all the Guardians of the Seeds hidden in the Maine woods, home to these trolls. They are in place, quietly telling their stories, for as long as Mother Nature welcomes them.