Layered Trees and Exposed Identities

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by Lisa

In the spring and summer I watched my plants flower, but it was, perhaps, in winter that I loved them best, when their skeletons were exposed. Then I felt they had more to say to me, were not simply dressing themselves for the crowds. Stripped of their leaves, their identities showed forth stark, essential.  Pamela Erens

You can always find something green and growing in our corner of the Pacific Northwest and I love our leafy canopies, fern covered forests and plentiful mosses but at the same time I can’t stop looking for these graphic views of the sometimes hidden structure of trees.  There’s something about their strength and repetition that captures my attention every single time.

There are subtle seasonal variations in forests like these but their essential identities are unchanged and on a quiet day Ryan and I like to think we are seeing the same path as someone walking in a past century.

Of course our 21st century forests can’t match the old growth size of these beautiful trees before logging cleared the area but they serve as a living reminder of nature’s tenacity and its power to refresh and recover after adversity.

Posted as part of the Weekly Photo Challenge:  Layered.

 

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Lisa

21 thoughts on “Layered Trees and Exposed Identities”

      1. I hope you’re on the mend and feeling better soon! Yes, all these shots were from the PNW. The first one was taken in spring and the rest were from August but I thought in black and white they might pass for winter and illustrate the quote. 🙂

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    1. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Sally. I’m glad you like the conversion to monochrome. It’s a change for me because I love the many shades of green but I thought it was a better choice to emphasize structure instead of being overwhelmed by color. This was a beautiful place to hike and I hope to return again in the fall.

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  7. Lisa, these are absolutely gorgeous old trees, and the photo capture in black and white adds to their strength and drama. I have a similar response as you mention walking with Ryan and thinking about indigenous people who perhaps lived in our forested areas. I can’t help but let my mind “travel back” in wonder. These are really exceptionally beautiful trees!

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    1. Thank you, Debra! The trees were really the star of this particular hike. We had a wonderful lunch by Heather Lake later in the day but with the forest fire smoke growing thicker by the hour these trees provided a much needed respite to our lungs and eyes.

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  9. Those really are quite some trees in your neck of the woods. More skeletons to see as fall and winter approach your way…hope those walks aren’t too cold now but you can always rug up 🙂 Hope Ryan is enjoying school this year 🙂

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    1. Our weather hasn’t turned to cold quite yet, Mabel but I can feel it coming. Time to pull out the winter sweaters and fleece! Ryan is having a good year so far, thanks for asking. 🙂

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