It’s a coast live oak that has to be a couple of hundred years old. Right at the main branching, there’s a hollow with a perennial beehive. Before they put the fence around it, you could stand underneath and watch the workers coming and going; the outbound workers making a line out to the nearest pollen source, and the returning sisters hovering about–waiting for a chance to return to the colony.
As a friend said, cool trees are cool. What are your favorites?
Mine might well be the Metasequoia glyptostroboides. I have one I’m kind of bonsai’ing, and it just started to bud this week. (It’s a deciduous conifer.)
Oh, where to begin? I love so many of the trees here in the Netherlands…and the timing is good, too, since the season of green budding leaves is about to start !
If I have to pick one tree, it would be the Hawthorn (Crateagus Monogyna). In early spring, it has little buds of green leaves that are absolutely neon green , (if neon came in fresh, natural colors). Actually, the leaves can be eaten at that stage; I hear they can be inlaid in vinegar, like capers.
In may, the freshly budded shiny leaves each have an umbrella of white dots, making each cluster of leaves a miniature wedding bouquet. In June, a Hawthorn three will be covered in a white veil of flowers, with an overpowering sweet typical smell, and the tree will be buzzing with insects. Standing under a frowering hawthorn tree, with that smell and the drone of busy bees is almost the definition of summer to me.
In fall, the leaves are pretty dark green, and the flowers have been replaced by pretty umbrella’s of red berries.
In winter, hawthornes are barren. But in my province, they are the staple tree for hedges. The shape of hawthorns hedges in winter , having been pruned for decades, can compete with any bonsai.
The ginkgo. I dunno why they say the fruit from the female smells like rancid butter – dogshit is more like it. A gorgeous tree, though, and you’ve gotta love the whole “living fossil” element.
In general, the river birch is my favorite. I love the openness of the canopy, the shape of the leaves, and the amazing shredding bark. I think it looks just as good in the winter as any other season.
As for a specific tree, there’s a huge old oak in a neighborhood east of downtown Indy that I stumbled upon by accident. I missed a turn on a side street, so I took the next one. That’s where this tree was. It’s called the Kile Oak. (Scroll to the bottom of the page.)
I don’t have a favorite tree. I could list a few trees and be O.K. with it.
Weeping Willow
Oak Red or White.
Sugar Maple
Poplar
Shagbark Hickory
Balck Walnut
Giant White Pines
Cottonwoods
Large American Elms like before they all died off
Side note enjoy your Ash now. Wisconsin is thining it’s ash out because of the Emerald Ash Bore, and we will lose 30% of the trees in Wisconsin when the Bore sweeps through.
I don’t know about favorite, but I do have a list of trees that make me excited for no good reason.
Tulip tree
Sassafras
Silver and Sugar Maple
Ginko biloba (except when the females are in the mood for love, cuz they stink like vomit during those times!)
Southern magnolia
Ironwood
Southern catalpa
Honey locust
Royal poinsettia
Sea grapes (except when they are in fruit)
I know it goes against the spirit of the OP, but I also have some trees that make me angry or sad.
Umbrella tree (angry)
Tree of heaven (angry)
Meluluca (sad)
Norway maple (angry and sad)
Cottonwood (only when its in flower)
There was one on my grad school campus. I used to have fun picking up the perfect little cones and chucking them at people.
