Tag Archives: Tree

Beaver Damage

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Getting photos of the beavers is a lot of fun.  You are aware of what they can do to a tree if they choose and, while it is good for some of the environments when they take down a tree, it can also be disappointing. Consequently, many of the trees have wire mesh around the trunk to protect them.  However, while cycling along the Sammammish River, I saw a small tree that one of the beavers had taken down.  Since they hadn’t taken it away, I am not sure why they took it down, but they had certainly done a job on it!

Crazy Single Tree – I Think

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As we walked through the grounds of Chateau Ste. Michelle after the Avants car event, we came across this tree.  As we looked at it we concluded that it was a single tree that was coming out of the ground in various places.  However, we are not arborists so could be completely wrong.  It just looks like it springs from a single source under ground and breaks the surface in various places.  If you know about trees and more specifically this tree, let me know.

Bonsai in Bloom

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We have been to the Bonsai Garden in Federal Way before and this was not a full visit to the collection.  However, at the entrance, they have a cherry tree bonsai and it was in full bloom while we were passing by.  Everyone was stopping to take a look and to get a photo.  It was absolutely stunning.  Sadly, photos do not do it justice – well, at least my photos do not do it justice.

My Favorite Tree Is In Bloom

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Just south of our house is a street which is home to one of my favorite trees.  I have probably blogged about it before.  It is a low and wide tree with a second, smaller tree in front of it that looks like a thicker trunk than it really has.  When I worked in Bothell, I used to drive passed it every morning.  Now I only see it occasionally when I am driving into Woodinville or riding my bike.  I saw it was in bloom and decided to go by early one morning to get some nice light on it.  I do love the look of this tree.

Fungus and Rings of the Log

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This tree trunk had been cut a while back.  I was interested to see that some fungus was growing on the cut surface of the wood.  However, there was clearly something about the outer rings of the wood that provided nutrients to the fungus that the older wood inside did not.  The growth was focused on the outer rings only and there was absolutely no fungus on the inner layers.  I wonder what the reason for this was.  Any suggestions?

Spirit Lake

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Sitting beneath Mt St Helens is Spirit Lake.  It was there before the blast but not exactly where it is now.  The debris that rushed off the mountain and the side of the volcano collapsed pushed down to the lake and actually raised it up a couple of hundred feet.  The water also rushed up the surrounding hills.  These had been covered in trees which, as the blast expanded outwards, got snapped off at their bases.  These stripped tree trunks got picked up by the water and washed back in to the lake as the water retreated.  The result is that there are now thousands of tree trunks floating on the surface of the lake making a raft.  This moves with the wind so its location on the lake surface changes all the time but it always covers a substantial portion of the lake.

The lake also covers the previous location of a lodge that used to serve visitors.  The owner of the lodge died in the explosion and the raised level of the lake now puts it above the lodge’s original location.  The owner had been advised to leave but he had lived there all his life and he wasn’t interested in going.  He was one of the many people to die that day.

Trees Growing Out of the Rock

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When starting up at rocky mountainsides, it is easy to spot trees that seem to be doing an amazing job of growing out of somewhere that looks like it shouldn’t be possible.  Normally I am a lot further away that is practical to get a good look at how they do this.  However, while hiking in the Cascades, we came across a spot right next to the trail where some trees were growing right out of the rocks next to us.  It was so cool to see how they develop a root structure in solid rock from which they can grow and flourish.  Here are a couple of shots to show how they have successfully embedded themselves in a rocky surface.

More Moss Than Tree

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In the parts of Washington where there is heavy tree cover and plenty of rain, you can get some serious growth of moss on the branches of the trees.  Go to the rainforest out on the Olympic peninsula and there are plenty of examples of this but even in the hills around Snoqualmie, you can see such trees.  The softer light during the winter helps show up the moss well with it almost appearing to glow in the shaded areas.

I saw one tree across the river from us and in direct light and it really stood out from the surrounding trees so I figured a shot had to be taken.  On our side of the river there was plenty of moss too so here you have a single tree and then some close ups of other trees to show just how the moss dominates the trees.  Of course, it isn’t very dense so doesn’t overwhelm the tree but it really makes the structure seem much beefier!

Twist and Break the Trunk

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This one is quick.  A tree has broken and the trunk – not a very thick one – had not only broken but twisted as it fell.  I was fascinated by the shape it took and the way in which the fibers of the wood had distorted as it fell over.  It showed the inner structure of the tree in a vulnerable way which is obscured when the tree is intact.