Friday, February 14, 2020

More on a Theme of Botanical Love For Valentines Day

I took these tree photos on a walk last week---I took photos while walking--- for those grammar Nazis!  The sun was low in the sky as we headed back and that made for nicer photos.  I am sure you have observed that trees have both rough and smooth barks and are tall and thin or squat and fat or huge.  Some leaved trees like this beech below hang on to their leaves until spring.  Some trees like the dogwood change their bark texture as they age.








Did you know that tree size is not directly related to age? Small trees are not always young. The amount of rain, quality of soil, amount of sun; all impact site quality that may be good or bad for trees. Also genetic make-up contributes to tree size. That dogwood can be older than the larger oak tree beside it.

Competition for the canopy of sunlight is certainly a factor in both spreading of branches and tree height.

Trees don't live forever (although one wonders about those bristlecone pines estimated at 5 millennia years).  Also, there are clonal or groups of trees that are actually one tree such as the 80.000-year-old Pando aspens!

A living tree can be a home for hundreds of species of insects.  It can feed many birds.  When a tree dies it leaves behind lots of nutrients for the soil and fungus and insects and birds.  



Below are the trees in the setting sunlight of my front yard.  It is exceptionally dramatic because the light bounces off the water from the river in the backyard and reflects on the trees.



11 comments:

  1. Lovely pix, thank you. I'm always studying tree bark when I'm out walking, so many designs and patterns. One of my favorite scenes is of beech trees in winter, still with pale gold leaves, and the shadows falling on the trunks.

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  2. " I think that I shall never see
    A poem lovely as a tree".
    From one tree lover to another, thanks!

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  3. excellent photos. I especially like the second one. and the bit of fungus growing on the pine (?). trees are sentient as is all life, but trees communicate with each other and will send nutrients to an ailing fellow.

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  4. Fabulous tree photos. Thanks for sharing!

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  5. These are gorgeous photos of trees. I like to think of the trees in Lord of the Rings walking to join the battle on the side of good.

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  6. That last scene is perfection!

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  7. there's all kinds of good stuff one can learn about trees. My favorite is to fly at low level over a forest. The big old trees dominate the canopy. Underneath the big tops is a lot of little stuff.

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  8. Trees are so precious. How i wish i knew more about the various kinds.

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  9. The personalities of trees are intriguing to my human spirit. Dogwoods have an especially musical personality.

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  10. I like your photos in this post. They are a real TREEt.

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  11. I love trees, thanks.

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