One More Tree

I just had to add one more tree from my collection. This is Angel Oak near Charleston, South Carolina in 2008. It is about 1500 years old - seriously! It's amazing! Click on the photo for an enlarged view.

Collecting Trees

I collect trees. No, not literally. Trees fascinate me - all kinds of trees. I like them when they are bare, showing their bones during the winter and I like them in all their finery during the spring and summer.

You've seen several photos of the big tree that shades the cemetery in my neighborhood. It's a special tree to me, but there are others equally special.

This one is located in a park in Charleston, South Carolina. Is it a palmetto? I'm not sure, but isn't it magnificent?




Below is a new one to me and is located in Oak Hill Cemetery in Evansville. I suspect wind and ice have sculpted it into its present shape. But isn't it regal? All it needs is an eagle's nest in the top.



Trees are everywhere and collecting them is fun and inexpensive. Just look around. I bet you can find collectible trees too.

More Hyacinth Beans

I promise these are the last photos of my hyacinth beans (lablab) on the fence. This photo shows them reaching for the sun from the outside of the fence.



And this one is a close up of the pods on the inside of the fence. The pods will gradually dry up and become brittle. Then it is time to break them off the vine and free them from the pods. The seeds inside the pods will be planted next spring.





I love the color and the fact that they are just a little different from most vines.

A Chunk Out of My Tree

The effects of the ice storm of last January are still evident. This photograph of "My Tree" amuses me. It looks as if someone/something has taken a giant bite out of the tree. Nature is always changing, isn't it?

All gone!

They're gone, all gone! My thoughts and words have disappeared! I'll return when they are recovered!

Update 16 August 2009: No, no! My words have not been deleted from this site. This is just my way of saying my plate runneth over and I haven't had time to sit down and write. I'll be back ... just busy right now.

Hyacinth Bean or Lablab

My sister-in-law introduced me to lablab, sometimes called hyacinth bean or Egyptian pea vine, a couple of years ago. The flowers and bean pods were pretty last year, but not nearly as full as this year, even though I only planted 6-8 seeds. I just learned that this vine and its bean pods are used as food in some parts of Africa.

In the first photo, taken from the back yard, my giant tomato plant has competed for the prize for runaway growth, but the lablab seems to be leading. The second photo is taken from the street side of the fence. Click on each photo for an enlarged view.

I'm rather taken with this vine and hope to harvest enough seeds to plant again next year.