Starting from Home

Southerrn Catalpa (Catalpa bignonoides) colonizing an old railbed in central Durham, site of the future Durham Beltline Trail.

Susannah and I were on one of our walks about town and musing on names for this new company. I had been thinking about trees having qualities I admired: the supple strength of Lindens, the grace of Redbuds, the steadfastness of Oaks, the generosity of Elms, that sort of thing. Susannah mentioned the Catalpa as we passed by a specimen growing in the front yard of Durham School of the Arts, and at length we considered that it was a good avatar for many things we value. It’s a native tree that shows up in difficult places and exhibits unusual grace despite circumstances. It helps reclaim disused places. It’s a tree that Whitman might have used as a symbol for his democratic enumerations in Leaves of Grass.