I have something for you today that may be every bit as magical as the trees whispering to me, like I talked about yesterday. There are trees in my forest that keep their leaves all winter long. The leaves turn golden when fall arrives, and they stay like that all winter long.
These golden trees of winter never lose their leaves. When everything else turns gray, and the ground turns white, these trees shine as golden beacons throughout the forest for all to see. They dance and whisper for all of the forest visitors whenever the wind blows. They can be a welcome presence in a lonely winter forest.
On a snowy day last winter, almost one year ago, when my little friend Alice first saw these trees she told me that they looked just like the dryads from Narnia. After watching the movie again I understood what she meant. These trees shake and shimmer in a very magical way. You can
go here for a special guest post that she wrote which talked about these trees.
I have a very short video of this same tree for you. I guess this tree is a little camera shy because as soon as I began filming it quieted down, but it still shook its leaves for me a little bit. Even with the tree's subdued behavior, this video might help bring it to life for you just a little bit. Go ahead, take a look.
In this last picture you can see some of these trees spread out through the forest. It was shortly after watching them that the whole forest seemed to come alive for me. I told you about that incident yesterday. It really was a magical experience for me.
Some of mentioned in the comments section yesterday that you have had similar experiences in the forest. Would you like to share them? All comments are welcome, especially if you think it is a strange one. That makes a story more fun. And any of you who don't read the comments on your favorite blogs don't know what you're missing. I read them all because comments can add so much.
That's enough for today. I'm still trying to get back into things here because of all of the Christmas commotion. So many of my favorite blogs to visit with so little time right now. So far I'm up to zero. Hopefully I can change that later today. I also have a very special project I'm working on that won't be finished for many months. I have to get it exactly right because it's a very big one. I can't reveal any more so I'll talk to you later.
When you are described as a tree, you are labelled as someone who cannot be changed. At least, this is the common language at my place.
ReplyDeleteWhat a insult to our friends, trees.
Can't wait for your new project...
ReplyDeleteI think the scattering of trees that retained their leaves makes for beautiful [and more interesting] photos. I bet they look really neat with a light dusting of snow, too :o)
ReplyDeleteThat's a very special tree, all golden indeed. Waiting for you to reveal your project!
ReplyDeleteBefore I even read your post I thought, "wow - those trees look like birds flying through the forest" Very Cool!
ReplyDeleteOh Ratty this tree is gorgeous and I love the video. Rustling leaves in the forest - there' just nothing like it.
ReplyDeleteHey Ratty...I love the fact that you have trees around that keep there leaves...it makes me wonder if I have any close by and so I will have to go walking soon just to find out and let you know.
ReplyDeleteTrees are magical creatures. Some of them are among my best friends.
ReplyDeleteI love the way your golden-leaved tree looks like wings, about to take flight! Yes, there is HUGE power in the woods and in the trees, and humans have responded to this power over all of our history...just peek at Joseph Campbell, Masks of God, to learn some of the beautiful stories and myths from the trees across both time and different cultures.
ReplyDeleteThese trees look like american beech (Fagus americana) a tree noted for its ability to hang on to its leaves. I really like how observant you are when wandering about the woods. As always thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteBill:www.wildramblings.com
Good observation on the tree Ratty, there are a few that will hang onto their leaves into Winter. I have an American Chestnut in my yard that will hold part of its leaves until early spring no matter how strong the winds get.
ReplyDeleteI also read the post before this one. I think the more we learn about nature the more we listen to what it has to say. It may or may not be magical but we can always learn by listening. I am almost (some places one shouldn't get too relaxed) always at easy in the woods, it is a part of who I am.
Thanks once again, all of you, for your great comments. You've given some excellent ones this time. I really love reading the comments, even when I don't have time to respond to each individually. And thanks for the info on the trees, Bill.
ReplyDeleteThat's a strong golden trees. Usually the leaves will drop off when in comes to winter.
ReplyDeleteI see exactly what you mean about the trees behaving like Dryads :-) By the way, I posted an award for you, not sure if you discovered it already?
ReplyDeleteI'll be back online early in the new year :-)
Those are beech trees, and I love how the leaves bleach almost to white over the winter. When interspersed with hemlock they are recognized as a sub-ecosytem of the northwoods. I just love them! Good luck with your project. It should be great.
ReplyDeleteI see these too...it is nice to see that splash of color amongst the gray, for sure!~
ReplyDelete