Anatomy of a Forest

The Forest Floor

When exploring the woods, you will first notice the plant life covering the ground and the remains of older trees. Words like mahovina (moss) and paprat (fern) describe the lush greenery, while a fallen deblo (trunk) or a leftover panj (stump) often provides a place for them to grow.

Moss grows on the old trunk.
Mahovina raste po starom deblu.
The fern hides under the old stump.
Paprat se skriva ispod starog panja.

Up in the Trees

Looking up, you will see the structure of the living trees. A tree spreads out with many branches (grana), which together form the leafy overhead roof known as the krošnja (canopy).

The bird sits among the branches in the canopy.
Ptica sjedi među granama u krošnji.
This tree has a very large canopy.
Ovo stablo ima vrlo veliku krošnju.

Treasures of the Woods

The forest is full of small discoveries scattered beneath the trees. You might find a češer (pinecone) from a pine tree, a žir (acorn) dropped by an oak, or a gljiva (mushroom) sprouting nearby. In autumn, you can also forage for chestnuts (kesten).

I found a pinecone and an acorn under the oak.
Našao sam češer i žir ispod hrasta.
A brown mushroom is growing on the old stump.
Na starom panju raste smeđa gljiva.
I like eating hot chestnuts in autumn.
Volim jesti vruće kestene ujesen.