The Learning Network, an educational program of the NY Times, recently used one of my pieces to illustrate the word “wizened”. Nailed it!
The architecture of the naked trees is now the star of the forest. There is our black birch, with dark chinks in its steely gray bark. A knobby burl creates a humpback and an elbowed branch seems to flex its muscle.
Chestnut oaks are crooked and angular. Their dark bark is rugged and blocky, giving even younger trees a wizened look. I can’t resist exploring this craggy terrain with my hands. These oaks lack lower branches, a common feature of trees that grow up in the forest where competition for light is steep.
