"The fairies began the prettiest dance that ever was seen." Queen Titania's book of fairy tales. 1883.

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the shaman woman . . . | uwhe-arts

The older oaks get the more personality they have. I saw this one yesterday in a grove of many species of old oaks.

Trees I would live in if I was a lil’ dryad forest fey creature

viewbug.com

"Mighty Tree" by fidfoto

C. Klein. Les Tamaris de Biarritz (17)

Arbres (charlesklein.photos)

I remember when living here I used to sit on the chair that was tied to the arm of the big tree

I would just zone out to the cicadas and the occasional silence

waiting for the next storm to roll in wondering if this hurricane will be the one to slide my home off the foundation that was made up of mainly sugar sand

but it never came

So I swung on the makeshift swing chair and let the sweltering Florida heat make me see things that aren’t half true

Like the golden sugar sand can glow if you stare at it when the sun is at it’s peak in the day

Or you can hear a breeze running through the trees giving me false hopes that it will reach my way

But I lived in the middle of nowhere of Florida

So my luck was already questionable

I wanted to leave so bad

But now I want nothing more but to just be there again

And think of nothing but how I came to be

I’ll always think of you evens ave

I underestimated you

Now all I’m left of you is a photo

And the altered version of what I can remember of what went down there

But I’m glad a few find you pretty now and aesthetically pleasing 

Because I remember I used to hide you out of shame

I’m sorry

I blame the heat and my pubescent feelings.

For as much as I love snow—and as indescribably beauitful snow-cloaked trees are—these wet, heavy snowfalls can be so damaging. The original part of our house was built in the mid-1800s, and a semi-circle of Norway Maples was planted nearby, likely soon after. Their average lifespan is 150 years...and sadly, two have recently died. The snow brought down some large limbs on others—we're hoping they'll survive the loss. Our black walnut trees may be even older, their lifespan can surpass 250 yrs. Altho' persimmon trees have a much shorter lifespan—an average of just 60 yrs.—the 5th largest known one (DCNR confirmed) in Pennsylvania is on our little farm. Every substantial snowfall brings a mix of excitement, and worry for these awesome old trees.

old guardians (2)

2024/02/25

Centuries old olive grove at Megalopotamos river, Asomatos, Crete, Greece

Illustration for "The Reed and The Oak." Aesop's fables in rhyme. 1924.

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Second General: Shang Dynasty Cypress

According to legend, in 110 BC, when Emperor Wu (漢武帝) of the Han Dynasty visited Mt. Song (嵩山) in Zhongyue, he discovered three huge cypresses towering towards the sky.  Emperor Wu named these lush ancient trees “Great General” (大將軍), “Second General” (二將軍) and “Third General” (三將軍) respectively.

This is so-called “Second General” cypress, probably, the thickest one, with a diameter of nearly 5 meters and a circumference of more than 13 meters. According to expert evaluation, the age of the tree is about 4500 years or more.

Located in Songyang Academy (嵩陽書院).

Photo: ©黑敀

Czarny Potok foto z 1 sierpnia 2018

Drzewo przy kościele jest najstarszą (co najmniej 510 do 650 lat) i najgrubszą (ok. osiem i  pół metra obwodu), choć nie najwyższą (ok. 20 m) lipą szerokolistną (Tillia platyphyllos) w Polsce. Powszechnie wierzono, że jego kora jest cudownym środkiem przeciw chorobom zębów, więc ciągnący licznie do kościelnego sanktuarium pielgrzymi odłamywali ją, a niekiedy obgryzali bezpośrednio z pnia. Figura Marii z Dzieciątkiem w kapliczce jest kopią rzeźby z XVII w, umieszczoną na pniu w 2014 r., po przeniesieniu oryginalnej do wnętrza kościoła. Korony dodano postaciom w 1899 r. Ówczesny proboszcz, Zygmunt Miętus, zanotował wtedy w kronice parafii: ...po Mszy świętej poszliśmy z procesją ku figurze Matki Boskiej w lipie obok kościoła i tam założyłem na głowy Pana Jezusa i Matki Boskiej nowe wyzłacane korony sprowadzone od Jana Heindla z Wiednia za 21 złr., do czego przyczyniłem się datkiem 5 złr.

Akwarela Józefa Pieniążka z 1933 r.

Pochodzący z Czarnego Potoka historyk literatury Bolesław Faron wspomina: Fascynowała nas ona od dzieciństwa. Jej wnętrze w naszych najmłodszych latach stanowiło znakomitą kryjówkę, zwłaszcza podczas, nielicznych zresztą, ucieczek z lekcji. Bywało, że mieściło się w nim 12-15 uczniów. Do szczególnych atrakcji należało wspinanie się w środku lipy, gawędzenie w ukryciu, a czasem nawet gra w karty czy inne młodzieżowe gry hazardowe. Specyficzną rolę pełniło to drzewo podczas Świąt Wielkanocnych, a zwłaszcza w drugim dniu, w śmigus dyngus. Otóż, przed wejściem do kościoła dziewczęta z całej okolicy miały zwyczaj klękać przed figurką Matki Boskiej i mówić pacierz. Z pokolenia na pokolenie przekazywano sobie bowiem przekonanie, że taka modlitwa może wpłynąć na sfinalizowanie małżeństwa, w ogóle, że młodym kobietom przynosi szczęście. Jeden z naszych szkolnych kolegów wpadł zatem na znakomity - jak mu się wydawało - pomysł. Schowamy się we wnętrzu lipy i kiedy modląca się panna wzniesie do Madonny oczy, ze specjalnej „sikawki”, zrobionej z drewna, puścimy jej prosto w twarz strumień wody. Eksperyment się udał. Kolejne nieszczęśnice zrywały się z klęczek, ocierając twarz chusteczką i chroniły się we wnętrzu świątyni...

Lipa wraz z kościołem zagrały w serialu Polskie drogi (1976-1977). Karol Strasburger i Kazimierz Kaczor w rolach partyzantów ukrywają broń w pustym wnętrzu pnia.

Kolejne części: druga, trzecia, czwarta.

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Czarny Potok, Poland taken on 1 August 2018

The tree by the local church is the oldest (at least 510 to 650 years) and thickest (circa eight and half meters in circumference) though not the tallest (circa 20 m) largeleaf linden (Tillia platyphyllos) in Poland. There was a common folk belief that this particular specimen's bark is a miraculous remedy curing toothache, hence a constant stream of pilgrims who used to break off splinters or even bite them directly off the trunk. The figure of Mary with the Child in the shrine is a copy of a 17th c. sculpture; it replaced the original in 2014, after moving the latter to the church. The crowns were added in 1899. The parish priest at that time, Zygmunt Miętus, noted down then: ...after the Holy Mass we went in a procession to the figure of Mother of God in the linden tree next to the church and there I put on heads of Jesus and Mary new gilded crowns from Johann Heindl's workshop in Vienna for 21 guldens, of which I donated 5 guldens.

[watercolor painting by Józef Pieniążek in 1933]

Bolesław Faron, a literature historian born in Czarny Potok, wrote: [The linden] fascinated us since we were children. In our youngest years, its interior made an excellent hide, especially when we ditched school, which was not very often anyway. It could fit up to 12 or 15 pupils. Some of particularly attractive pastimes were climbing inside the linden, chatting in hiding and sometimes even playing cards or other youth hazard games. The tree had a specific role in the time of Easter, particularly on its second day, that is Śmigus Dyngus. Namely, local girls had a custom of kneeling in front of the Holy Mary figure and praying, before entering the church. There was a belief, passed over generations, that such prayer could help in marrying and brought luck to young women in general. One of our school colleagues came up with a great - as he thought - idea. We would hide inside the linden and when the praying girl would raise her eyes to Madonna, we'd spray her right in the face with a special wooden toy. The experiment was successful. One after another, poor girls jumped up, wiping their faces with a handkerchief and took cover in the church...

The linden together with the church made locations in a Polish TV series Polskie drogi (1976-1977), a historical drama set in the World War II. [partisans played by Karol Strasburger and Kazimierz Kaczor hide weapon inside the hollow trunk]

The next parts: 2nd, 3rd, 4th.

Папоротники в горной расщелине. Щитовник мужской на скале.

Ferns(Dryopteris filix-mas) in a mountain crevice.

Old Olives…

Tanya Luca