Nature Pics

[Dave_LF]

Yes, 6 feet is about right.

I know people often train them not to branch; is it possible that's what happened with yours?

Otherwise, since the whole neighborhood was built at once back in the 50s, it's possible the developers bought some low-branching variety in bulk and planted them everywhere.

[Lalaith]

So are you saying yours are branching there at about 6 feet? It looks lower in the picture.

I don't think anyone put any thought into ours after planting them...if they even planted them deliberately. Of course, I'm mostly thinking of my old neighborhood, also built in the 50s or 60s, so who knows?

Do you have the tree places that come around and butcher them by just hacking them off across the top?

[Dave_LF]

Some are lower than 6 feet, some are higher. The ones in my front yard are at about eye level, so six feet is a good estimate there.

Yes, the power company does exactly that. Luckily the power lines in this neighborhood mostly run through the back yards, so these trees are unaffected.

[Lalaith]

Oh, the power companies are brutal. I'm glad these ones should be spared that fate. There was a fad awhile ago for topping the silver maples. People said it made them grow fuller or some such nonsense. What it did was brutalize the tree, weaken it, and make it look very ugly if it managed to survive.

[Primula Baggins]

Our neighbors have a huge old big-leaf maple that that was done to years ago, and it's now dying. It looks like a tree out of Tolkien—immense, covered in moss, with ferns growing out of forks in the branches; but above the mutilation, only weak vertical suckers have grown over the years, and they're dying (or standing dead in the crown of the tree). It's very sad, and also a little frightening, given that it stands above our driveway and part of our house. One huge limb fell last winter, but fortunately landed in the neighbors' front yard without damaging anything or hurting anyone (they run a day care!). But other limbs will fall. It needs pruning or maybe even removal, but the owners of the house can't afford it, and we can't afford to offer to pay for it--I'm sure it would cost thousands of dollars. It's not a street tree, so the city won't do anything about it.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

[Lalaith]

It's very pretty!

[yovargas]

My view for tonite's dinner in the Dominican Republic.

[Inanna]

Oooooh.

[Lalaith]

That's very nice!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[Maria]

Nice picture, yov!

Remember this redwood pic? I had it printed out on a 30" x 60" canvas. It just arrived. It's awesome!
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m58 ... r2dhx9.jpg

[Lalaith]

Ooooh! Lovely!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[Primula Baggins]

This photo, "Crows on Snow," was taken by a criminalist with the Portland, Oregon, Police Bureau and became so popular they posted it in high-res. It's magical. Eerie. Every one of those black dots is a crow.

CrowsOnSnow_smaller.jpg (1.04 MiB) Viewed 11893 times

It's posted in full size (4700 pixels wide) here: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/624693

[Maria]

Are they actually crows? Crows don't generally form flocks that big, I thought. I'd guess a group that big is starlings.

Wonderful picture, though, whatever kind of bird it is.

[Lalaith]

I would've thought starlings, too, but it's a great picture either way! And I love crows.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[Alatar]

Even old Grey ones?

[Lalaith]

Lol! Especially those!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[Inanna]

That's one amazing pic.
I zoomed in - they didn't look like crows to me - more delicate looking. Of course, I'm thinking of the big black crows I grew up with in India...

[Primula Baggins]

There are huge flocks of crows in downtown Portland—I've seen them in the air almost looking like a murmuration, startling against a sunset as they fly from one group of trees to another.

I'm pretty sure those are in fact crows, especially flocking at night in the cold (and especially since the photographer identified them as crows; it looks like a photo taken out of his office window, so he's probably seen them like this before). They may be a smaller variety than in India. And keep in mind that the scale of the trees is quite large.

[Inanna]

Oh - since the photographer says they are crows, they must be. I mean, he saw them. While we are looking at a photo.

And yes, the Indian crows are Big & Mean. And bullies. But not orange.