J.R.R. Tolkien created the Ents as a tree-like race in Middle-earth.
The Ents appear most prominently in The Lord of the Rings, especially in Fangorn Forest. Their leader, Treebeard, is one of the best-known characters in the story. Tolkien described them as ancient shepherds of trees, with great strength, long memories and a very slow manner of speaking and deciding.
The Ents’ major action is the Entmoot, a gathering at which they debate whether to confront Saruman. They eventually march against Isengard after seeing the destruction caused by Saruman’s industry. Their story explores the conflict between living nature and mechanical exploitation. Entwives, the female Ents, had become separated from the Ents before the events of the novel, and their fate is left unresolved. Ents are distinct from Tolkien’s trolls, Orcs and Uruk-hai; those groups have different origins, roles and characteristics in his mythology.