Rhody said, “Cornus florida bark is rough.” He likely intended to say, “Dog would bark, ‘ruff!’.”

This is not about Rhody though. It is about these six pictures of bark of some of the more significant trees that I work with. All are native here. Only the sycamore was installed intentionally into a landscape. All of the others grew wild. There are so many interesting trees here that it was not easy to limit these pictures to just six. I actually took more pictures that were omitted.

Furthermore, a picture of Rhody is not included.

1. Platanus racemosa – California sycamore is bigger and bolder than other American sycamore. Trunks of mature trees are massive and gnarled, with this distinctively blotchy gray bark.P00613-1

2. Pinus ponderosa – Ponderosa pine is the grandest of pines. The massive trunks seem to be comparable to those of Douglas fir. Bark often flakes in bits that resemble jigsaw puzzle pieces.P00613-2

3. Quercus agrifolia – Coast live oak is second only to valley oak in regard to grandeur. Unlike valley oak, it is evergreen. Smooth gray young bark eventually becomes darker and furrowed.P00613-3

4. Pseudotsuga menziesii – Douglas fir is the majestic State Tree of Oregon, and a main timber crop there. Locally, it mixes with various ecosystems. Corky bark is rather finely furrowed.P00613-4

5. Acer macrophyllum – Bigleaf maple is the most imposing maple of the West. As the name implies, the leaves are bigger than those of any other maple. Bark gets sort of checked with age.P00613-5

6. Sequoia sempervirens – Coastal redwood is the grandest of all, and it happens to be the tallest tree in the World. Also, it is the state tree of California. The ruddy bark is distinctly fibrous.P00613-6

This is the link for Six on Saturday, for anyone else who would like to participate:

https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/

Post Script: For the first time, I am violating the recommended limit of six pictures to include this extra (but unnumbered) picture of Rhody for those who would be otherwise disappointed.P00613-7

19 thoughts on “Six on Saturday: Bark”

  3. I love bark. And barks, even from the neighbouring alpaca watch dogs in the middle of the night. A great four season tree for me needs to have an interesting bark texture or colour. My fave of your Six is the Sequoia – something about ‘fibrous’ perhaps.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Redwood bark is certainly distinct. It is sort of spongy. The fibers can be an annoyance to handle during warm weather, but not many people must handle it like I do.

      Like

      Reply

    1. Other sycamores have similarly blotchy bark, but the London plane trees here are rather boring. They got mixed in because someone who planted them did not recognize the difference.

      Like

      Reply

    1. I never exclude Rhody. I merely neglect to include him. Actually, as you may notice if you see enough of his pictures, he really dislikes the camera. It is difficult to get a good picture of him.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a comment