One of my favorite times of year happens in mid-December. After the third or fourth frost-and-thaw of the year, the bright red berries on my Winter King Hawthorn tree become just fermented enough to attract the attention of the robins that live in the area. In the span of an afternoon, a whole flock will descend on the tree and pick it clean, getting slightly drunk in the process.

After we purchased our house in 2013, we applied for a free tree almost immediately. The city of Philadelphia offers two avenues to get a free tree in front of your house. The first is through Parks & Rec. Fill out the online form, and within a few months someone will come out, cut your sidewalk, and drop a beautiful new tree into the pit. The other method is through the PHS Tree Tenders program, where the process is fairly similar.

Once your tree is installed, you can attach a Tree Gator and keep it watered until it’s healthy and strong, and then enjoy it for years to come.

Fresh-installed, June 2014

Fresh-installed, June 2014

The benefits of trees in the urban landscape can’t be understated. They add necessary shade to a vast concrete expanse, helping to reduce summer cooling costs (and less AC usage means less electricity used). They provide refuge for woodland creatures. They provide fresh oxygen and help to filter storm water.

And you can watch birds get drunk.

Little lushes.

Little lushes.