April 26, 2011

Sweet Trees

One of the things I miss most about my great-grandpa is his vast knowledge of nature, especially trees. Whenever I had to do a leaf-identification project for science class, he was my right-hand man. I guess I have trees on the brain because they have affected my day a little…after a big storm moved through my neighborhood last night, many folks (including yours truly) have been without power.

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Even though this is a minor inconvenience, I’m saddest about seeing gorgeous old trees like this come to such an end. To think something could grow for fifty or sixty years and then be uprooted in a matter of minutes just doesn’t seem right.

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Instead of focusing on the tree debris, I wanted to share this gorgeous specimen (which I have learned is a red Horse Chestnut, thanks to a handy online tree guide). I took these pictures exactly 1 year ago and never got around to posting them here on the blog.

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The red Horse Chestnut is a hybrid between the Red Buckeye and the Common Horse Chestnut. I think it’s gorgeous and I hope this one has a long happy life.

Be safe if storms are moving through your area! Happy Tuesday friends!