The wife and I decided to escape the snow and cold of North Texas for a few days, so we headed south towards the Gulf of Mexico. We finished our first day of travel in Lake Charles, La. While in Lake Charles, I was reminded of my favorite tree. I don't mean my favorite species or favorite size. My favorite tree on earth is "The Sallier Oak", located at the Imperial Calcaseiu Museum in Lake Charles.
[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/Sallier%20Oak/IMG_2070.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/Sallier%20Oak/IMG_2061.jpg[/img]
This tree is a Louisiana Live Oak (Quercus Virginiana), and is between 350 and 400 years old. It is really difficult to capture the size of the tree in a photograph because you have to move back so far to capture the entire tree. When you move back far enough, it begins to look small. It used to have a plaque which stated its size, but the plaque is gone. If I remember correctly, the tree is about 70 feet tall, 150 feet wide, and has a 10 foot diameter trunk.
If you really want to appreciate the size of the tree, you need to be under it.
[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/Sallier%20Oak/IMG_2064.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/Sallier%20Oak/IMG_2068.jpg[/img]
The tree is covered with resurrection fern, a non parasitic plant which looks dry, brown, and dead during dry periods. When a small rain comes, it springs back to life.
[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/Sallier%20Oak/IMG_2065.jpg[/img]
The Oak survived a hurricane in 1918, but it split down the middle from top to bottom. The Sallier family, who owned the property; used a logging chain to draw the trunk together and then let it grow around the chain. The chain now hangs from the center of the tree.
[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/Sallier%20Oak/IMG_2067.jpg[/img]
It was also hit by lightning at some point and one side of the tree burned. It survived the fire, but has leaned dramatically to one side since the fire.
What more can I say, this is simply my favorite tree. What is yours?
Ted
As a matter of fact, I do, although I haven't seen it in over 50 years, and it probably is no longer standing. It was a dead tree on my great-grandparents' farm. I have no idea what the species was, but it had been struck by lightening and lost all of it's bark. It was stark white, and the first time I saw it, there was a major storm coming. The sky behind the tree was dark, dark blue/purple ... almost black ... and there was a band of sunlight shining on that stark white tree. It was a very impressive sight. I have always wished I was enough of an artist to produce a picture of it. It was just beautiful to me ... breathtaking. 
This is another of my favorite trees. I don't know what kind tree it is, but I really like the container. It looks like a tree and a pickup truck had a disagreement over a parking place. The disagreement resulted in a tie and both occupy the space. I had some difficulty deciding if I should post the photo on the tree forum or the container gardening forum.
I found this tree when the wife and I were riding four wheelers on some backwoods trails near Mena, Arkansas. Someone else around Mena may have seen it.
Ted
[img]https://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/af222/txsoilman/DSC01249142-1.jpg[/img]
I found this tree when the wife and I were riding four wheelers on some backwoods trails near Mena, Arkansas. Someone else around Mena may have seen it.
Ted
[img]https://i1010.photobucket.com/albums/af222/txsoilman/DSC01249142-1.jpg[/img]