Sometimes you look up and notice a really beautiful tree. Today we'll look at a series of pictures focusing on the trunk of this fine tree, followed by some other features of note.
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| This bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) grows on the north side of the arboretum, at the head of a drainage canal which empties catchment from a large section of campus. You can find more information about its history on a previous blog post, found here. |
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| The tree partially shades the small parking lot near the Student Union Building and bandshell. Its elegant, drooping branches are beautiful, but they also require routine pruning to allow easy passage along the nearby sidewalk. |
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| The trunk is more or less straight, although the tree itself is inclined. |
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| Competition with an older, on-site native water oak has resulted in asymmetrical branching―the southeast face of the tree is nearly bare of branches. Most of the branches grow on the north and west sides of the trunk. |
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| Despite the competition, the tree, about twenty-five years old, is in rude health. |
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| With handsome bark and handsome root structure, few trees can top the bald cypress for looks. |
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| The famous cypress "knees" can potentially be a problem. So far, this tree hasn't damaged anything we know about. |
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| Conversely, its knees have taken hits from lawnmower blades over the years. | | |
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| This time of year you'll find cypress fruits, green and sticky, growing in singles and clusters. These balls will separate into multiple scales, each of which is a seed. Apparently ducks enjoy them. |
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| Looking closely at the feathery twigs, we noticed a strange growth. Can you spot the yellow formation? |
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| Would you believe that the tiny white shapes in this photo (as well as the lumpy-looking mass in the previous photo) are fly galls? Yes, midge flies create these and use them to reproduce. How'd that evolve? |
