ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Coast Redwood

Hey kiddo! Have you ever heard of a big tree called the coast redwood? It's really cool and I'm going to explain it to you as if you were 5 years old.

The coast redwood is a tree that lives in a specific area along the west coast of North America. It's a really tall tree - actually, the tallest trees in the world can be coast redwoods! They can grow up to 379 feet (115 meters) tall!

In addition to being very tall, they're also very old. Some of these redwoods can be more than 2,000 years old! That's older than your great-great-great-grandparents!

One of the reasons that coast redwoods can grow so tall is because they have really strong, thick bark. Bark is the layer on the outside of the tree that protects the inside of the tree from harm. The bark on coast redwoods can be up to a foot thick and it helps keep the tree from being damaged or eaten by animals.

Coast redwoods also have really shallow roots, which means that the roots spread out really wide instead of going down deep into the ground. This helps the tree collect more water from the ground, which it needs to be able to grow so big and tall.

One of the coolest things about coast redwoods is that they can "talk" to each other! They do this by releasing a chemical into the air when they're being attacked by insects or other pests. This chemical lets nearby trees know that there's danger and they should start defending themselves too. It's like the trees are having a conversation!

So there you have it, kiddo! The coast redwood is a giant, ancient tree with thick bark and shallow roots that can communicate with other nearby trees. Isn't nature amazing?