Category: trees

water dog

black dog black hose
I am watering 200+ trees this year. I am hoping the City will allow the adjustment of my utility bill to reflect the fact that much of the water being used does not end up at the sewage plant.

bird identification

Slabtown is sparsely populated. Walking the 6/10 mile tree loop my phone heard a Carolina Wren, Northern Cardinal, Canada Goose, Tufted Titmouse, American Crow, White-eyed Vireo, Northern Mockingbird, Blue Jay, American Goldfinch, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Fish Crow, Great Crested Flycatcher, Carolina Chickadee, House Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, Osprey, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Bobwhite, Indigo Bunting, House Wren, and a Great Blue Heron. It was not able to identify the mechanical bird. (I could hear that one)

Arbor Day

catalpa McIntire Park
The Spanish village of Mondoñedo held the first documented arbor plantation festival in the world organized by its mayor in 1594. The place remains as Alameda de los Remedios and it is still planted with lime and horse-chestnut trees. A humble granite marker and a bronze plate recall the event. Additionally, the small Spanish village of Villanueva de la Sierra held the first modern Arbor Day, an initiative launched in 1805 by the local priest with the enthusiastic support of the entire population.–Wikipedia
stormwater
Every year for at least the last ten Charlottesville Parks and Rec staff, city leaders, Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards, Druids and others celebrate Arbor Day, often designating a Landmark Tree. Today the event was rained out (3 inches of precip before midday). Above, Parks and Rec staff clears out a stormwater drain in McIntire Park downhill from the catalpa.
branch of the Catalpa
I didn’t get the memo that the event had been rescheduled. Missed the people but the Catalpa was there.
tree dog man
Matilda and I took a self portrait with the Catalpa. Charlottesville is recognized as a “Tree City” by the Arbor Day Foundation. We are a tree city with a declining percentage of tree canopy. There is work to be done.

Arbor Day 2013
Arbor Day 2012
Arbor Day 2011

Liriodendron tulipfera

The tallest individual at the present time (2021) is one called the Fork Ridge Tulip Tree at a secret location in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. Repeated measurements by laser and tape-drop have shown it to be 191 feet 10 inches (58.47 m) in height.[4] This is the tallest known individual tree in eastern North America.–Wikipedia

First tulip poplar leaf I’ve seen unfurled this year.
Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards sale April 15

Surveying

spring morning
Spring mornings are a delight for the eye and nose. A low hemophagic critter index prevails but it is warm enough to volatilize a universe of scents.

Venus, new moon, Liquidambar styraciflua

moon sky venus tree
The moon is a silver teardrop,
The sky is a canvas of blue,
Venus is the evening star,
And the tree is a place to rest.
The moon is a beacon of hope,
The sky is a promise of tomorrow,
Venus is a reminder of love,
And the tree is a symbol of strength.
The moon is a place to dream,
The sky is a place to soar,
Venus is a place to be,
And the tree is a place to grow.
The moon is a place to find peace,
The sky is a place to feel free,
Venus is a place to be happy,
And the tree is a place to be you.–Bard
(replying to the prompt “moon sky venus tree”)

quercus falcata

roadside oak
When folk resist the chainsaw temptation trees grow.
Quercus falcata, also called southern red oak, spanish oak, bottomland red oak or three-lobed red oak is an oak (part of the genus Quercus). Native to the southeastern United States, it gets its name the “Spanish Oak” as these are the areas of early Spanish colonies, whilst “southern red oak” comes from both its range and leaf color during late summer and fall. The southern red oak is a deciduous angiosperm, so has leaves that die after each growing period and come back in the next period of growth.–Wikipedia