The Sequoia

Polly went to Mariposa Grove. It is full of giant sequoias. They are the biggest trees in the world.

Polly alikwenda Mariposa Grove. Huko kuna miti mikubwa ya sequoia. Ni miti mikubwa zaidi duniani.

Sequoia bark is not brown. It is deep orange. Polly landed on a branch. She pecked the bark with her beak. It was soft. The bark was very thick. The thick bark protects the tree from fire.

Magamba ya sequoia si ya kahawia. Ni ya rangi ya chungwa iliyokolea. Polly alitua kwenye tawi. Aligonga gamba kwa mdomo wake. Lilikuwa laini. Gamba lilikuwa nene sana. Gamba hilo nene hulinda mti dhidi ya moto.

A family walked past. A little girl said, "Look, a parrot!" Her father said, "It is a toy." Polly did not move.

Familia moja ilipita. Msichana mdogo alisema, "Tazama, kasuku!" Baba yake alisema, "Ni toy tu." Polly hakusogea.

She flew up the tree. At thirty metres up, the branches started. They were thick. She perched on one. The top of the tree was still far above.

Aliruka juu ya mti. Akiwa mita thelathini juu, matawi yalianza. Yalikuwa manene. Alitua kwenye moja. Juu ya mti bado ilikuwa mbali sana.

The biggest tree was called the Grizzly Giant. It was about 3,000 years old. Its trunk was wider than a bus.

Mti mkubwa zaidi uliitwa Grizzly Giant. Ulikuwa na umri wa miaka kama 3,000. Shina lake lilikuwa pana kuliko basi.

Polly perched on the trunk. She looked up.

Polly alitua kwenye shina. Aliangalia juu.

Three thousand years. The tree was already old when Rome was a small village.

Miaka elfu tatu. Mti ulikuwa tayari mzee wakati Roma ilikuwa kijiji kidogo.

Polly stayed a long time. There was an old fire mark on the trunk. The tree had survived many fires.

Polly alikaa kwa muda mrefu. Kulikuwa na alama ya moto wa zamani kwenye shina. Mti huo ulikuwa umevuka moto mingi.

A small seed fell past her. Sequoia seeds need fire to grow. The cones open only in heat. New trees grow after a burn.

Mbegu ndogo ilianguka karibu naye. Mbegu za sequoia zinahitaji moto ili kuota. Maganda hufunguka tu katika joto. Miti mipya hukua baada ya moto.