A Tree

This tree is quite close to my house. I’ve been taking pictures of it for years. When I first came across it, I thought it was dead. Since then I’ve taken pictures from all angles, probably in all seasons, even in silhouette. I’ve glad to see that it’s thriving. I hope the dreaded spotted lanternflies don’t get it.

Taken with a Sony A7IV and Tamron 90mm f2.8 Macro

Birch Tree

Beautiful textures and color. I don’t know much about trees, but it looks like some kind of birch – maybe a paper birch?

According to Savvy Gardening:

Shedding bark occurs most often on the trunks of certain trees, but bark peel can also occur on smaller branches and twigs, depending on the plant species. Some trees with peeling bark shed their older bark in large chunks while others shed it in thin, papery sheets. In some species, the bark flakes off. For trees where peeling bark is a natural trait, there’s no need to worry about the health of your trees. The phloem that carries the sap through the plant just beneath the bark’s surface is performing its job just fine.

As trees grow, their bark thickens. The inner layers of bark are thin and soft, while the outermost bark consists of thick, dead tissue made up of old phloem and cork. The tree’s growth pushes the trunk outward and the bark cracks. This outer bark is then sloughed off to expose the inner layer of new bark. When older bark is shed from the tree’s exterior, new, healthy bark takes its place. Almost all trees naturally shed bark as they grow; some just do it more noticeably than others. Trees with bark that peels in a decorative fashion take the whole process to extremes. You might even say they’re a bit dramatic about it!

Taken with a Sony RX100 IV.