Nature
is filled with amazing and magnificent trees, but these are some of the most
majestic, and undoubtedly some of the most unusual.
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Take the “Circus Trees” created by bean farmer Axel Erlandson,
for example. As a hobby, he pruned and grafted trees into fantastic shapes.
Refusing to divulge his techniques, he took his tree shaping secrets
to his grave.
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The Giant Sequoias only grow in Sierra Nevada, California, and
hold the title as the world’s biggest trees, at least in terms of volume.
General Sherman, located in the Sequoia National Park, is the largest
of them all, standing over 275 feet tall and weighing over 6,000 tons.
It’s about 2,200 years old – and each year, the behemoth grows enough
wood to make a regular 60-foot tall tree.
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The Chêne-Chapelle (Chapel-Oak) of Allouville-Bellefosse is the
most famous tree in France. But it’s actually more than just a tree; it’s
a building and a religious monument, and a tree, all in one.
In 1669, a lightning bolt hollowed out the old oak and a priest built
a small altar within to the Virgin Mary. Later on, a chapel and staircase
was added.
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“The Tule Tree” in Mexico is an enormous specimen of the Montezuma
cypress. It has the largest trunk girth – 190 feet, and a trunk diameter
of 37 feet. Local legend says you can make out animals like jaguars and
elephants in its trunk, earning it the nickname “the Tree of Life.”
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The amazing Baobab or monkey bread tree can grow up to about 100
feet tall and 35 feet wide. Their most astonishing feature is the fact
that their swollen trunks are actually water storage. Each tree can store
as much as 31,700 gallon (120,000 l) of water to endure harsh drought
conditions.
The baobab tree is the national tree of Madagascar, but can also be found
in mainland Africa and Australia.
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The amazing thing about the
internet is the ability to share not only information about serious issues
such as health, but also to open
up the world and share the unlimited beauty
and wonder that is planet Earth.
To learn about the rest of the 10 most fascinating trees, click the link below.