The leaves had begun to fall one by one off the trees. Soon frost and snow would cover the land, and there would be little safety, food, and warmth for the birds of the Forest. They prepared their feathers to fly away from the cold, migrating south to warmer climates. A crow would soon join them, Bartholomew was his name. He made sure to eat his fill of berries and worms, for he would need all his strength for the flight ahead.

One day, he was hunting on the ground for things to eat when from out of nowhere a deer raced by. The doe did not even see him there, and by accident she kicked him in the side with enough force to send him crashing into a nearby tree. The crow cried out in pain, and soon discovered that his wing was broken. The doe approached and apologized for her wrongdoing, but was in a hurry to find her fawn. Bartholomew replied, “No no, it’s okay. It was an honest mistake.”, and forgave her immediately.

As the doe bowed and ran off, the crow soon realized he was in a terrible situation. With his wing broken, he could not fly south for the winter. The trees were nearly naked of their leaves, and very soon it would be very cold for his body to survive. The crow would soon learn that trees are not always kind.

Bartholomew looked up to the birch trees and asked for help, but they were boastful of their beauty, and told the crow that they would not shelter a crow. The crow asked the oak trees, but they refused as well, because they did not want him to eat all of their acorns. He even asked the willow trees, but they would not even talk to him.

The crow was distressed and could not find any shelter from the cold. He wandered off through the deepest parts of the Forest, now alone, shivering, and hungry. Bartholomew rested by a tree, considering his options, when a voice asked, “What is wrong, little friend?” He looked up to see a spruce tree speaking to him. “Oh, I am just in a dilemma.”, the crow replied.

“Oh, please tell me. Maybe I can help.”, the spruce replied. Bartholomew told the tree about his problem, how a doe hurt him by accident and broke his wing, and how he asked for help from the birch, oak, and willow trees but they would not offer any shelter for him. The kind spruce heard his story, and said, “Oh little one, I cannot fathom how stressful this day must have been. I will certainly help you through the winter. My leaves will never fall, and I will keep you warm and protected. Please be my guest, and let your wing heal in my care.”

Bartholomew’s face brightened, and thanking the tree, he was able to climb the spruce and find a nice branch to stay. When the story of the spruce tree passed through the Forest, the great and mighty pine trees offered to join the spruce and offer shelter for the birds in the winter. Even the little juniper trees were eager to help, offering berries to birds through the winter.

Bartholomew was happy to have several trees so willing to help. Soon he learned that other birds chose to stay through the winter, and the spruce, pine, and juniper trees were loving to them as well. The crow lived comfortably until spring, when his wing had healed and he was able to fly again.

The spruce, pine, and juniper trees were given a special gift from Mother Nature, for being so kind to Bartholomew and the other birds in the winter, their leaves would remain green through the seasons. And thus, the Legend of the Evergreen Trees was born.