Aliens among us

This hard fat pea of a gall (?) on this young oak leaf looks like bad news.

Dawn Redwood bark

This deciduous conifer is an ancient relative of the sequoia and redwoods. It was thought to be extinct, known only in the fossil records, until 1941 when they were discovered growing in a small mountainous area in China. Now they're back in the land they once roamed (so to speak). Washington Avenue.

A Tree Gets Planted in Brooklyn

The Arborist showed us how to plant a balled and burlaped tree along Washington Avenue outside the BBG. It's a serviceberry, also known as shadbush, Amelanchier laevis. Did you know that most roots are within 18 inches of the surface?

Cherry, apple?

Also from Nantucket: Anna's Lane in 'Sconset is lined with these, usually a good place to find orioles and hummingbirds.

Lichen?

Being a particularly damp place, the island is very friendly to lichens, mosses, mildews, etc.

Nantucket trees

Island pines

A copse of pitch pines, pinus rigida, on Nantucket. This species of tree was introduced to the island in the 1840s. They're nicely resistant to the drying effects of salt spray. (It's a tough neighborhood for trees.) Also their thick bark is resistant to fire.