The old hickory in the front yard is one of my favorite autumn trees around here. When the days begin to get shorter and the nights chillier, I watch fall cast its spell on this tree and marvel as its leaves change colors. Some years, it turns from green to a pale yellow. Other years, it morphs into pure gold. Always, I am thrilled by its splendor.
These colorful giants are one of the reasons I love going to Crossroads Mall - our little mall in town - in the fall. One only has to stand behind the mall, lift his or her eyes upward, and behold, up on the hill, this glorious spectacle. I love trees in the fall!
~ MJ ~
California is home to three of the most important and historical tree species in the world, the coast redwoods ( Sequoia sempervirens) of the California coastal fog belt, the giant sequoias (Sequoiandendron giganteum) of the Sierra Navada, and Methusela, an ancient bristlecone pine in the Mojave Desert of California.
How Little Are we Compared with the Sequoias?, Sequoia National Park, CA
In volume of total wood, the sequoia stands alone as the largest living tree on Earth. In all the world, sequoias grow naturally only on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada. The world's biggest living tree, General Sherman, is between 2,300 and 2,700 years old. Its largest branch is almost seven feet in diameter.
Sequoais sprout from seeds so small and light, yet the mature trees may produce each year, 2,000 chicken's egg-sized cones. Sequoias are amazing trees, from tiny seeds like oat flakes, they become giant and almost immortal. Almost nothing can hurt them except their weight, it is inherently resistant to insects, disease and fungi, and to fire. The main cause of their death is toppling from its weight.
Coast Redwoods, Redwood National and State Parks, CA
If the sequoias are known as the largest living tree on Earth, the coast redwoods is the tallest know plant species in the world. Coast Redwoods, just like the sequoias, are among the oldest living things on Earth. From a seed no bigger than a tomato, the coast redwood grows to a height of 360+ feet, imagine a 35 storey skyscraper.
Aside from these two amazing trees, another amazing tree bearing importance in natural history is Methusela, the oldest living tree, living in the Ancient bristle cone pine forest in the desert mountain, in Inyo County, CA.
~ Betchai ~
