I Think That I Shall Never See a Poem as Lovely as a Tree :-)

Coastal Redwood
by Bailey Fletcher
(an excerpt)

To the ever-living this poem goes
to the stoic ones that silence knows.
Men of science scribe in pen
Sequoia Semperviren
though she has another name
unspoken Virgin Timber.
Blackened inside, hollowed-out by fire
Growing eons ever-higher
Jagged javelins torqued skyward
Steeples for the morning choir.

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The corkscrew tree is comprised of about fifteen trees (depending on who’s counting) that grew and twisted together over time. It is a marvel to behold and easy to climb into its sun-dappled center fortress. It’s right off of Drury Scenic Drive, the scenic alternate to 101.

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This is The Chandelier Tree in Legget. It’s 315 feet high and about 2400 years old. Driving through this tree fulfilled my father’s childhood fantasy which occurred to him as a young boy in Florida, staring at the cover of his science textbook all year long which was reminiscent of this very image.

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It is a common occurrence for redwoods to form a fairy ring (also called a family circle) around where their mother tree used to be. When the parent tree dies, a new generation of trees rise around it, forming a natural cathedral.

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Coast redwoods create their own fog by breathing out ample amounts of moisture, usually transpiring as much as 500 gallons a day! That's as much water as an hour long shower.

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