The Cedar Elm

Nature Observation Two:

The shadows that it cast upon the ground spans out like a spiders web, ensnares my gaze, drawing me in, to look upon one of the giants of this world. Although this cedar elm is not as big as other trees, its branches reach far above my head as I sit below it in the scattered shade. It does not only reach up to the glowing blue sky, its roots push down into the damp dirt reaching down as far as it reaches up. A tree is an interesting being; we only see the part of it that is above ground, occasionally a root poking out of the ground, but a major part of it is hidden from us. The part we do see though is magnificent, strong and dainty all at the same time.

Its single trunk stands tall, covered in light brown bark. The bark is rough to the touch, looking as though a thousand little tributaries were carved into it, making there own little streams up and down and occasionally around. Although, the trunk is round in shape it is not perfect like a cylinder, it has ridges and valleys causing my back to unevenly lie against it. At the top it splits into six other branches. The tree divides itself, yet multiplies at the same time, adding to its vastness. These branches although smaller than the trunk and have similar characteristics, continue to reach up into the sky. Then the tree splits again into another set of parts, thinner branches extending out again many more this time multiplying exponentially it seems. These ones though are a little different, they no longer reach up in quite the same way, they begin to arch out away from the base. These arching branches are what gives the tree a shape of an umbrella and help cast the web of shadows down below on the ground. From these the tree divides itself again, with smaller and smaller branches. These branches are no longer as straight and instead snake in and out in gentle little curves. From these curving branches the tree continues to divide itself until thin little branches no longer as riveted, as their larger friends. Instead these branches are the thread holding a bunch of little oblong green leaves, which provide most of the shade below. The leaves edges are scalloped and their oblong shape ends in a peak. The leaves sprout off the thin branches in little bunches with a leaf on each side in a pair. They are thin and light, swaying in the breeze, yet big enough to block some of the glare from the sun. They are a vibrant green. Usually when I look at I tree I see the mass of green leaves and branches siting atop a trunk, never stopping to break it down into little parts. A tree may be big and grand but it is made of little parts, some we will never see.

Located at Texas Christian University