Arbor Day was established in Nebraska in 1872, when Julius Sterling Morton proposed a tree-planting holiday to address the near-total absence of trees on the Great Plains. An estimated one million trees were planted on the first Arbor Day. The observance has since spread internationally. Nebraska remains the only state where it is a legal holiday, which seems fair given that Morton picked the date.
It also seems fair that I share a few tree photos today.
This large California black oak stands just a mile or so from my house. It was 9 degrees Fahrenheit when I saw the morning sun rising behind it on this day. I took this photo VERY quickly and got back in the car….
I have always loved the sight of an aspen grove. I’ve seen this one at Crater Lake in Lassen County, California, USA numerous times over the years. On this particular day I was struck by the late afternoon side lighting that was striking the trunks and felt I just had to capture it. ….
From time to time we get freezing fog in this area for days on end, resulting in thick “pogonip” frost on the landscape and everything in it. Such was the case when I photographed this lone tree a few miles from my house…
One of the chief reasons I took up infrared photography was to photograph foliage. Deciduous trees reflect infrared energy wonderfully, especially in spring when their foliage is full of chlorophyll as was the case when I shot this large blue oak on a family ranch in Shasta County California ….
I captured this frame of this big oak tree at the Sacramento Riverbend area in Tehama County California, just a few miles east of Red Bluff. I took an afternoon stroll with my son and was struck by the way the big leafless tree looked as it was backlit/silhouetted against the late day sun, showing off the interesting twists and turns of its branches.
That’s all for now. Get out and enjoy nature every chance you get!