Friday, November 20, 2009

LA Arboretum: Trees

I love the strength and stature of a tree.  They are the old and wise beings of the plant world. As they grow older their beauty shines in a new way. Some of the Arboretum trees had this sort of beauty.


Pink or Silk Floss Tree

Underneath this tree you can see young peacock fowl. This Ceiba speciosa belongs to the same family as the baobob and is originally from South America.  Being drought resistant it does particularly well in Southern California.  The bark is very unusual with very large and stout thorns adorning it.





 

Right now it has pink flowers.  Later in the year these flowers will become large pods from which silk floss will fall. This is how it gets its name. Now for the flowers, which shed such a beautiful shadow of pink on the ground.



 

 
Ginkgo biloba tree

This tree's leaves are beginning to turn in autumn's coolness.  This tree is unusual, as it has no living relatives, all others being extinct.   It's extinct relatives can still be found as fossils. It originated in China. It leaves bear a resemblance to the leaflets of the maidenhair fern, giving it the common name, Maidenhair Tree.



 

The leaves look beautiful in the early stages of gaining their autumn color on the outer edge of each leaf. Perfect symmetry!!

There were other trees showing signs of autumn in the Arboretum, mostly maples.







 

A glorious abundance of gold against the blue sky. Such colors fill our souls in autumn.

I couldn't leave out my favorite tree, the paper-white birch.  This far south they are small, but treasured sights.






The silver glow of the bark never fails to inspire me. When I lived in Russia, I was able to see many large specimens of this tree in the forest.  Russians love this tree and write many folk songs about it.

18 comments:

Victoria said...

Wow!!!Magical and inspiring! This post stole my heart..very gorgeous photos..and wonderful info..I truly enjoyed that!! I love gingko trees.. awesome! Again...wonderful photography Mary!!!Very cool!

Anonymous said...

Mary Delle,
I just love your first paragraph how you love the strength and stature of a tree...such a beatiful thought. They are kind of like us as we grow older our beauty shines in a new way.
Beautiful tree pictures.
vickie

Carol said...

What a beautiful tour Marydelle... Those trees are all so amazing. You are so right in your description of trees... they are incredible old sages. You have truly captured the beauty and grace of these specimens. I love every one. Carol

Deborah at Kilbourne Grove said...

I love trees too, they have such character. So far at Kilbourne Grove, I have planted 33 more trees. It will take a long time before they have the majesty of the old boys that are already there, but you plant a tree for the next generation. It will be well provided for.

Unknown said...

The photos of the trees are great. To have such spectacular colors this time of year is fantastic.

Teresa said...

The pink color of the silk floss tree is so deep and pretty. I have never heard of that tree let alone seen one. The ginko is awesome too. They are such infrequently seen that whenever I do see one I have to stop and admire it. Your photos of the trees are great!

Teresa said...

The pink color of the silk floss tree is so deep and pretty. I have never heard of that tree let alone seen one. The ginko is awesome too. They are such infrequently seen that whenever I do see one I have to stop and admire it. Your photos of the trees are great!

janie said...

Beautiful, of course. I love trees, too, and the bark is the main attraction for me.

Jim Groble said...

just simply wonderful. great pics

Dee/reddirtramblings said...

Absolutely beautiful, the trees and your photos. Thanks for capturing the bark. I often forget that.~~Dee

Wendy said...

wow, that tree looks like a clematis tree! The ginkgo biloba is my fave. Nothing beats the shape of that foliage.

Chloe m said...

I once read a quote and I can't remember who said it but here goes: first a gardener loves flowers, then bushes and then moved on to trees. I don't know if that is BS or what!
But I love the trees you posted. Especially the pink blossoms. They looked like tissue paper, very delicate.

joey said...

A lovely post, Mary Delle! Ginkgo biloba is a treasure, your photo ... stunning but like you, the paper birch holds my heart <3!

Anonymous said...

As a tree lover..... what a gorgeous post!! Interesting and excellent photography. WEll done! Jack

Noelle Johnson said...

Hi MaryDelle,

There is an award for you on my blog. I hope that you will accept it but I won't be offended if you don't. You may have already received it, but you have been so supportive and I wanted you to know that I really appreciate it.

Gail said...

What a lovely post~~The trees are beautiful...Wow on the thorned trunk! Golden leaves against a blue sky are always captivating! gail

D said...

Mary Delle, although we have spent a lot of time in southern CA, I don't believe we have ever seen this unusual and quite beautiful tree with thorns... wonderful texture.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Kathy said...

Oh, how I love trees and oh, how I love this post! I, too, have a special fondness for the birch. Those ginkgo tree trunks are fabulous! And I have never seen a silk floss tree before - thank you. Just beautiful. By the way, I think your blog is the best! I would have tagged you with the best blog award but saw that AZ plant lady gotcha first. Happy Thanksgiving!