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photo by Donald Kinney
With arms ready for a hug -- what ISN'T to like about a Madrone tree.
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photo by Donald Kinney
Beautiful even in in death. A playground for bugs. A perch for birds. An artful subject for the lens of Donald Kinney... Useful trees, these Madrones.
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photo by Donald Kinney
And this is the exact time of year when the madrones shed a paper-thin layer. The older copper colored skin gives way to a new greenish layer.
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photo by Donald Kinney
If I didn't have anything to do today I'd run down to City Hall and see if I could get the Madrone nominated to be the official tree of Marin County. Oh we have our Redwoods and a whole lot of other very nice trees, but I think if the Madrone ISN'T already our official "County Tree" it darn well ought to be.
BUT -- just maybe -- if I had a doozy of a botanical name like "Arbutus Menziesii" I think I might just keep it a secret.
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6 comments:
This shots are really good!
Love the way you take them.
Beautiful!
I love those trees! (And if I lived in Marin County, I'd run down to City Hall as well, and second the nomination! ;)
I guess the Madrone and the Manzanita are in the same family. Think its the Manzanita we have in our front yard. It has the same curly bark which I thought of posting for ABC Wed. for B.
Love the "arms" picture. Very discriptive Don.
The 'refrigerator tree'. I learned that from you. I put it to the test on my next hike, and you were right. Its always a good day when you learn something new.
THANKS MULLEH -- Thanks for the great compliments -- they keep me going and inspiring me to put extra effort into it...
AND THANKS EMMY -- Oh silly me, I didn't realize it was Saturday when I wrote that. City Hall would have been closed, but it's a beautiful building -- I would have ended up shooting exterior shots, 'fer sure...
AND THANKS PHOTOWANNABE SUE -- Yes, Manzanita and Madrone look pretty similar, although Manzanita is more of a bush and has more of a chocolate colored skin. But they do the same exact thing with shedding their skin each year -- at least the part facing the sun -- sort of like a snake (((I hate to even think of snakes)))...
AND HI SINBAD ON THE LOOSE -- Oh good, you got to hug a Madrone or "Refrigerator" tree... And what a surprise -- they are actually cold on a hot day... Refrigerator trees -- who would have known...
Madrones ..... just the name conjures up wonderful feelings about nature. I love the color, the bark, the smoothness. Maybe I should write a song about the beloved madrones!
Jan Bell
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