Trees

The Tree in the Dale

| Flower Roberts

I have always admired trees. Their shape and their shade are appreciated. There are some trees that I especially love. I remember these as important landmarks. I look for these old friends when I return to those places.

I went back to the picnic spot by the mountain stream yesterday. I took a bag of root chips, water and my camera. I meant to bring a book, but it was left in the kitchen. I go to this place to read. There is spotty phone service and no internet here, so it keeps me form scrolling the horrific events of war and politics. I make myself take breaks between calls and letter writing and posting and sharing…

I wandered around with my memories along the banks of the streams. There have been changes. I will share that later. I was looking for things that have not changed. I need some mooring right now. What could be more steadying than an old, familiar tree?

This was one of the sights I came for…The Tree in the Dale.

It stands in the middle of lovely sloping pastures. From the picnic site, only its crown is visible. It peeks over the hills. Seeing just its top was a comfort. I was not up for a hike to its shade.

I just wanted to put my eyes on this tree that I have loved through time. I keep returning to places of the past. Searching for echoes. Hoping for old threads to attach myself to.

A tree is pretty steady mooring for that.

I am grateful for the tree in the dale.

FLOW

What is Left?

| Flower Roberts

The truck hauled away a load of sawdust from the chipper.


Many logs are left to season and be cut into firewood.


The stump of the Fairy Tree is a gorgeous shape.

There was a glow-in-the-dark star left on the stump.

The rotten roots at the water had a giant hole in the center.

Generally it is not as messy as expected.

The tree that was trimmed up looks like I envisioned.

I am pleased with this progress, years overdue.

FLOW

Old Oaks

| Flower Roberts

When oaks get messy it’s a sign of decline. There are symptoms that let you know when one needs to go. Conch fungi at the base should not be ignored.

The tree near the water had been showing signs by growing fungi at its base and a hole forming underneath.

The tree near the ramp had its roots in the septic lines and grew extremely fast. The death at its core was sort of a surprise.

The oak at the road was planted thirty years ago. This one was trimmed on one side due to power lines. That meant the side toward the house and downhill was fuller and thus heavier.

We hired a company we have used several times before, Watt Tree Service. They do excellent work and clean up as they work.

All equipment for cutting and cleaning up.

This experienced crew provided several hours of entertainment today. The climber is sixty-one years old and is a third-generation climber. His brother also climbs and was doing a different job today right across the river.

If you have trees, you need to keep an eye out for decline, disease and bad form. It is important to hire experts, so that your trees will not be trimmed like lollipops that will medusa out later and cause even more problems.

It is worth paying for experienced, skilled crews with the proper equipment. Tree problems just get worse if not addressed.

FLOWER

The Oak Out My Window

| Flower Roberts

Growing up, I had an oak watching over me.

It was small when I was small. We both grew.

Now it reaches for the sky with its beautiful branches.

I walked around my old home place on Christmas Eve.

Feeling grateful for a safe place to grow up.

Happy I had a room under this lovely, sheltering tree.

FLOW

A Tree for All Seasons

| Flower Roberts

I was fascinated by an unusual tree at Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens.

Its name is Chinese Parasol Tree, Firmiana simplex.

It had several features that were of interest.

One was its green bark which had an unusual texture.

Also, its leaves were huge and complex.

It had a nice shape overall that made it attractive from a distance.

This may be a tree for all seasons.

Flower

Oh Those Knees

| Flower Roberts

I have always found the knees of the Bald Cypress trees fascinating.

(It may be because my Mamaw had one in her living room.)

So when the Edisto Memorial Gardens also had a Cypress Swamp walkway,

I found myself knee-deep in my deeply-rooted fascination.

I could not believe the diversity in shape and arrangement.

One group even looked like a nativity scene.

Yes, there were roses! I will eventually get to those.

But for this post we will be lovin’ on some Taxodium distichum parts.

The roots are unusual, but so are the cones.

My cousins did get a tiny bit of attention during the visit.

Next come the roses and some fowl.

Stick around folks.

Flower

 

 

Conk up: Tree down

| Flower Roberts

I am fascinated by all things fungi.

This particular conk, Inonotus dryadeus, has been featured in my posts before.

It was growing at the base of  a huge oak in my neighbors’ yard.

Another name for this type of fungi is “white rot.”

It is a symptom of the decline of the tree it is on.

The more conks present, the more disease.

Conks are a symptom, not a cause.

Last week the tree came down,

with some help from a team of men with ropes and chain saws.

My neighbor left the conk on my stone bench because she knew I would want to keep it.

Here it is now out of the ground and upside down.

I think it is beautiful.

Maybe I could make it into a hat to match these shoes?

FLOWER