American Elm -

: Because cities had planted elms in monocultures, the trees' root systems had often grafted together underground. The fungus didn't just fly; it traveled through the very "handshakes" of the trees' roots.

) is one of monumental grace, a heartbreaking plague, and a quiet, scientific resurrection. The Cathedral of the Streets american elm

: Tiny elm bark beetles carried the fungus from tree to tree. : Because cities had planted elms in monocultures,

The very thing that made the elm beloved—its ubiquity—became its downfall. In 1930, a shipment of logs from Europe arrived in Ohio carrying a stowaway: a fungus known as . The tragedy unfolded with clinical cruelty: a heartbreaking plague