“It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.” ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

I will assume Mr. Stevenson would include the blowing winds as a “quality of air.” A continual tingling emanating from the scattered wind chimes hanging throughout our yard gave a melodious soundtrack to the strong Santa Ana winds on Tuesday. But winds do a fine job making their own music without the accompaniment of chimes.

Sounds of wind in the trees and the rustling of leaves have enchanted people since time’s beginning; the word psithurism was added to the English language to further define them. Geographically located along the foothills, the Crescenta Valley gets a direct hit as winds blow forth from the many canyons. It seems folks either love the winds or loathe them. I will admit to belonging to the first group. In spite of the winds’ potential for causing damage, I feel exhilaration and excitement as the winds begin to blow. On the other hand, my mom loathed them … understandably so, growing up in Kansas.

So, does the wind independently make a sound?

We can’t see wind, only the things it moves. Likewise, we can’t hear wind unless it’s flowing past something that makes it vibrate; this causes it to adopt various sonic guises depending on what it interacts with. Trees provide some of the most common and aesthetical ways for wind to make itself heard. The type of leaf, the season and the species of tree all work together to create a unique sound or, as John Muir put it: “Winds are advertisements of what they touch.” He described how, in the wind, each tree expressed itself in its own way, “singing its own song, and making its own peculiar gestures.” Trees’ songs change with wind speed and direction, and the type of leaves it comes in contact with. Surprisingly, or maybe not, there are people who can distinguish by the sound of the wind from what species of tree they emanate.

Of all the species of trees, it seems the pine has done the best job capturing our imagination; I can attest to this. While vacationing in the eastern Sierras I became enraptured by the sound of wind blowing through the pines. Maybe it is just the effect of high altitude playing upon my senses!

Dense stands of pines once grew at the foot of our local mountains. As the population grew, so did the demand for lumber. By the early 1900s the forests were mostly gone. Oaks and other native and non-native trees replaced them. The sound of blowing pines – alone – is no more.

As the winds calm, colder temperatures and a chance for rain move in. Thus far meteorologists are hopeful upcoming storms will be good rain producers. Our local mountains are likely to get a dusting of snow. Winter weather returns.