Nature Observation 2


Along the paths of campus there are many trees whose limbs creep onto the trail, but this one in particular shows them all up. Its limbs stretch up and even rise above the three-story building it is planted next to. The trunk itself is not perfectly straight but has a slant to it as if the tree were stretching out its side. The tree itself has five main branches, and from there comes a web of smaller and smaller branches, until the very end result ends in a trail of leaves. When you study the branches and the three further, you may notice that there is an area where the bark is not smooth but rough and jagged, the result of a branch having been sawn off in the past, perhaps. The leaves are bright green and plentiful—there is no denying the fact that this tree has the ability to produce and maintain its foliage. Some of the branches have started to brown; with it being the beginning of the fall season, it’s no surprise that a tree of this nature would shed its leaves and become bare for the upcoming winter season. The damper to the tree’s beauty is a white lamppost a couple of feet away from where it is planted; being a campus, light sources are necessary but during the day the post seems to block the tree when someone tries to take a picture.
Also around the tree are multiple flowerbeds, and more grass across the path from it. Since my original observation of the tree, I have passed it multiple more times on the way to and from class and it still amazes me about its beauty. Birds nest in the branches, and while they may not have the most beautiful song when they open their beaks, the tree seems to mask the sound somewhat due to its leaves. I make this observation as I observe the same type of birds perched in a different tree without so much foliage, and it seems that the leaves mask the sound when they are in the big tree. Overall, I think this may be one of the largest trees on campus and I was glad I stopped to admire its excellence.




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