In a scene reminiscent of Tolkien’s Middle-earth, a solitary northern rātā tree with a striking resemblance to a walking Ent has been crowned New Zealand’s 2024 Tree of the Year.

We imagine your Duolingo streak might be cut short if you had to learn Khuzdul, Sindarin, or one of the many, many fictional languages J.R.R. Tolkien invented ... up on a tree after reciting ...