05.24.07
The Lone Cottonwood - Oasis On The Prarie
As I write this I am sitting under one of my favorite trees. Part of the reason it is a favorite could have to do with the fact that it is located in a place I don’t get to visit very often, making it more special.
I am sitting at Fort Kearney State Rec Area. The tree is a Cottonwood, probably well over fifty years old. I’ve known this tree for 21 years. It once had four main trunks. One apparently fell in a storm. Another was cut, probably at the same time.
The two remaining trunks curve right and left, offering shade to anyone that cares to spend some time under it’s canopy.
The two lost trunks were the larger and taller by far. The remaining leaves seem meager by the usual standards of a Cottonwood this age. Yet they still provide shade, at this time of day, over an area about 50 by 75 feet plus another about 20 x 40.
This tree is clearly in it’s declining years yet it still offers sanctuary to the Oriole chattering and singing as I write and the Robin sitting on an end of a branch. The leaves still rustle in the wind providing one of the most delightful sounds of late spring, summer, and early fall.
Why is this tree one of my favorites? Because it offers me sanctuary. It’s canopy shields me from the most intense rays of the sun, allowing just enough to filter through it’s leaves, waving gently in the breeze, providing an ever changing light show. It allows me to witness the birds taking refuge there.
But wouldn’t most trees do that as well? Yes they would. This tree is special because it stands alone. The nearest tree is 100 feet away and it is quite small in comparison. I’ve always had a soft spot for trees that seem to be an oasis in the middle open area, even if that area is relatively small.
In this case the tree sits on the boundary of the park, right next to a corn field. Being close to field there is nothing to block the wind making the tree rustle all the more. Yet today there are occasional periods of complete stillness proving contrast.
Another reason I like this tree is history. Because it stands out I have always remembered this tree since the first year. I have watched it change and evolve. From something bigger and fuller to the declining tree it is now. This tree and I have history. I have evolved along with it. This tree reminds me of the old Chinese dictum, “Everything changes except the fact that everything changes”.
Today, as I write this, I find comfort under it’s branches.
