Madrone Trees, Mt. Tamalpais

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

These are colorful and mossy trunks standing out in the rain are Madrone trees. They are native to the Pacific Northwest.

This old grove of Madrones is just south of the hang-glider launch area on Ridgecrest Boulevard, way the heck up there on our beloved Mt. Tamalpais.
Definitely one of my favorite trees (((Redwoods come in first in my book))).



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

Someone told me that Madrone trees are sometimes called "Refrigerator trees" because they are cool to the touch even on a hot day.

This one is all wet so you wouldn't want to hug it in this condition, but the next time you come across a dry Madrone tree on a hot day, go ahead -- nobody is looking -- give it a hug -- see how cool it is.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

That's what happens -- stand around too long in the damp and you start to grow moss. And this moss couldn't be any happier -- it livens up after rain.




This isn't a new photo (((I always tell you when they aren't))), but it shows the paper-thin bark that the Madrone grows and then sheds each year. It generally only does this on the sunny side of the tree, with the more shaded side of the tree developing a durable bark.


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