Ahh....the tranquility....
Apart from several species, the star attraction of Muir Woods are the Coast Redwood trees (also know as Sequoia), the tallest type of tree in the world! The tallest redwood tree in Muir Woods stands at 258 feet while it's been said that they can grow up to 380 feet tall with a diameter of 20 feet!
A fallen tree has its trunk cut into half to clear the path
A closer look at the trunk - such interesting textures
Can you see the broken black trunk in the centre? This area is call "Family Circles".
There's a story to it, (as written on a sign) :
Hundreds of years ago a single large redwood grew here. Then disaster struck. The trunk of the large redwood was killed, perhaps by repeated and severe wildfire. From here you can see the original tree trunk still standing upright, now a dead and blackened snag.
Despite such terrible damage, the tree did not die. Below the ground, its massive root system was full of vitality. Before long, hundreds of young, bright green burl sprouts began to come up around the circle formed by the root crown of the original tree. Some of those sprouts have grown into the full-sized trees that today stand in a circle around the original trunk.
Hundreds of years ago a single large redwood grew here. Then disaster struck. The trunk of the large redwood was killed, perhaps by repeated and severe wildfire. From here you can see the original tree trunk still standing upright, now a dead and blackened snag.
Despite such terrible damage, the tree did not die. Below the ground, its massive root system was full of vitality. Before long, hundreds of young, bright green burl sprouts began to come up around the circle formed by the root crown of the original tree. Some of those sprouts have grown into the full-sized trees that today stand in a circle around the original trunk.
See how tall the trees are??? Such a beautiful sight...
The lump up on the tree are burls. Burls are made up of thousands of bud cells that accumulate below ground, at the base of the trunk or sometimes higher in the tree. Most bud cells remain dormant as long as the parent tree is healthy and undamaged. Each bud cell is fully capable of producing a new redwood - a clone that is genetically identical to its parent.
Looking up...
It was such a nice relaxing walk in Muir Woods; the serenity and the beauty of nature here is majestic, truly such a marvel. Be sure to visit Muir Woods National Monument when you're in San Francisco.
so rivers ARE stony! just goes to show how un-bonded i am with nature haha! redwood trees are so huge .... i must go one day to have a look.
ReplyDeleteso lush, so green! i love mother nature :)
ReplyDeleteThey're so majestic! I was planning to go there on my last West Coast visit, but time was not on our side, so had to give it a miss. Now I'm regretting my decision!
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks for posting this up. Enjoyed reading all your San Francisco posts as I was there last summer as well but only for a few days and like the previous commenter, did not have time to go out from the city to Muir Woods. :)
ReplyDeletecfm : Go when I'm there! ;o) We go together!
ReplyDeletesc : Yes, isn't nature lovely?
Lyrical L : Make another trip!
kugly : There's actually lots to see in SFO, go back again for another round of vacation :o)