Skip to main content

Maple Zits

    Hey, everyone. This is a maple leaf. In the spring you see some tree's leaves get this odd coloration. I suppose it is merely a fungus or perhaps the reaction to some sort of insect chewing on the leaf. I've been meaning to go to Wikipedia and look it up. If the close-up was better, you could see there are 3 red balls on a white background. On the same tree was another leaf with a dozen similar spots. It appeared like a shotgun pattern. However, there was no 3 ball design on the leaf with the multiple design. Cool, huh?
    Finally, we have a tree called Yellow Poplar or Tulip Poplar, here in the southeast U.S. In the spring they have these big blooms with a pretty orange cup. The trees themselves grow to a height of 50 or 60 feet. Excuse the dirt on this one but it rained overnight and I just picked this sample off the ground. Poplars grow fast but are rather brittle and won't take the beating an oak or hickory will. An oak or a hickory takes many years to reach maturity but they are strong. Sort of like people. Some folks start well and make a good show but they don't have staying power or character. The first dry spell or hard times and they are ready to go elsewhere. You can always tell a poplar, white or yellow, by the leaf cut straight across the end. (Or almost straight, see top of photo). By the way, poplars grow very straight and the guys around here that run the saw mills use them a lot because they get long straight planks out of them. I used to work in a saw mill, by the way. It's rough, dangerous work but there are some good ole boys that work at these places.
   The title of the post was Maple Zits because of the blemishes to the leaves. No intent to hurt the feelings of anyone with acne; I've had my share of zits.
    On behalf of cosmetically challenged trees everywhere, I'm CE Wills. 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It's So Easy

     Hey, everyone, out there in etherland. I've been playing some new songs this morning on my keyboard. You may remember a Buddy Holly tune called It's So Easy . I hadn't matched the title to the song before today so I was delighted when I saw that it was the one that goes like this: "It's so easy to fall in love, it's so easy to fall in love." It rocks pretty good. A later version of it, after amps and guitars had improved, really rocked. It seems like Joan Jett may have done a version. Anyway, I was playing this song and I thought about a fun thing I like to do. Sometimes I'll start to play a song and tell Carley, or the grandkids, whoever may be there, a silly story about it.      For instance, I would say that once upon a time Buddy Holly came to me and said, "CE, I need a hit, my man. The kids need shoes. I want to go on American bandstand, you know what I'm saying?"     "Yeah, Buddy, I hear you. But the thing is, I think ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Movie Review: Limitless

    Hey, everyone. I ventured off the mountain today, down into the haunts of men. I'll tell you about a movie I saw, then later I'll tell you about some other stuff. The movie is Unlimited . This is a story that you would have to call science fiction, but in the not so distant future you may call it reality.      Bradley Cooper plays Edward Morra. If you looked up loser in the dictionary you would see this guy's picture. He has freeloaded off his girlfriend for years. He claims to be a writer but can't seem to put words on paper. His woman leaves him; he is a scroungy, dirty dude with no future, no drive and no money. He is about to be evicted from his scummy apartment.     Then he bumps into an old friend. The friend wants him to try a new drug which comes in the form of a small, clear pill. What Edward doesn't know is that the pill is pretty awesome. The drug is designed to unlock the true potential of the human brain. We only use a...
4 comments
Read more

Dr. Simon's Exoskeleton (Shadowgun)

    Hey, everyone. Nice to be back with you after a tough, hectic week. We have had some snow, sleet, fog, drizzle, torrential rain and flooding this week.      I'd like to talk, yet again, about Shadowgun , the shooter game for I-Padster. I was much further along than what I thought when I posted about some of the battles yet to be faced for those of you who had just killed the Driller. The fact is that I am on the last level. This level has Dr. Simon, the resident evil nutcase, inhabiting a monstrous, powerful robot. His brain resides in a bubble on top, much like a cherry on a hot fudge Sunday. (Yes, I am still on my eating binge) It is a tremendous fight because you not only have to kill this huge semi-person, but there are a bunch of mutant guards, flying drones etc. to deal with at the same time. I had played the darn level about thirty times and decided to check out someone else's battle. So I went to You-Tube and typed in, Dr. Simon Exoskelet...
5 comments
Read more