Tree with dramatic sky
Africa,  England,  Landscape,  Squares,  Themed galleries

Gallery: lone trees in the landscape

July 22, 2021 / 34 Comments

Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky

Kahlil Gebran

And if every tree is a poem, a tree that stands alone is perhaps a performance poem ~ a poem that is shouted to the heavens?

For this ‘Tree Squares’ post I simply want to share some images of trees that stand out from their surroundings. The first set were taken in Africa, in the Gambia, Senegal and Zimbabwe. Meanwhile the second set were all taken in various places in England. Oh, and the feature photo is another from Zimbabwe. It was taken in the grounds of the Victoria Falls Hotel, and you can see the spray from the falls behind the tree.

In Africa

Large bare tree next to a shack

A baobab in a village near Mandina Lodge, Gambia

Large bare tree with bright green leaves and river in foreground

A lone baobab rises above the mangroves near Fathala Lodge in Senegal

Large bare tree leaning to the right with bright green leaves and river in foreground

This baobab in the same area is starting to lean – perhaps it is getting old and will fall soon?

Large bare tree by water surrounded by much smaller ones

Elsewhere in Senegal, on the salt flats near Djiffer, another baobab

Tall slender palm rising above scrubby bushes

Back in the Gambia for this solitary palm in the bush near Mandina Lodge

Large bare tree beside a road

This is the so-called Big Tree near Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. This ancient baobab is claimed to be the oldest in southern Africa. The nearby sign says that its girth is 18 metres, while its height is 23 metres. It is thought to be between 1,000 and 1,500 years old.

In England

Small tree on a ridge with stones in foreground

Among the ruins of old lead mines in Gunnerside, Yorkshire

Large dark tree with green valley beyond

Above the village of Keld in Swaledale, Yorkshire

SMall tree and dry stone wall

Looking down from Housesteads Fort on Hadrian’s Wall, Northumberland

Windswept small pine tree

A windswept tree on the exposed headland of Brean Down in Somerset

Small scrubby tree on the slope of a hill

And this one is in Cardingmill Valley in Shropshire

Large tree with orange and golden leaves

Let’s finish with a splash of autumn colour in Emmets Garden, Kent – not exactly a lone tree, but it is the only one in this part of the garden to have changed its colours

34 Comments

Do share your thoughts, I'd love to hear from you! And please include your name in case WP marks you 'anonymous' - thank you