Friday, April 1, 2011

A - Arbutus Tree

The Arbutus Tree is a very unusual tree.  Native only to the west coast of Canada and to Washington and Oregon (where it's called the Madrona), this tree has beautiful red peeling bark and broad leaves that stay all year.  We have a giant Arbutus in front of our house--at least 150 feet tall.






One thing about the Arbutus, it drops its leaves from July through to November so there is a lot of raking to be done.  Another thing is that the leaves are very strong and become brittle in the winter.  They don't turn into mulch like most leaves.


You can see how brittle and waterproof these leaves are.  A little bit like the Eucalyptus leaves I think, but larger.


The photo below was taken in January of an Arbutus leaf on the grass. 


So I'm not fond of all aspects of this tree, but in early in the morning when the sun rises I can lie in bed and see the lovely orange glow on the Arbutus trunk as I wake up.  I don't even mind all the raking of leaves when I see this beauty.


The Arbutus is indeed a beauteous tree.

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6 comments:

  1. Stephanie VApril 1, 2011 at 12:04 PM

    I love how the bark peels from the trunk and branches. And they get so big! Nice photos - especially the water drops.

    ReplyDelete
  2. dianasfaria.comApril 1, 2011 at 12:24 PM

    Wow! That is an amazing tree! I can see why it would be worth the effort to keep it. Beautiful job with your Photos.
    & what a large meme too. I'm not sure I've ever seen one so big.

    ReplyDelete
  3. stevenApril 1, 2011 at 4:58 PM

    joanna, i very love trees and especially appreciate the colours and textures. steven

    ReplyDelete
  4. RudeeApril 1, 2011 at 6:45 PM

    I've never heard of an arbutus tree. They're beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  5. angryparsnipApril 1, 2011 at 8:39 PM

    I really love how very interesting and different trees can be.
    Your Arbutus tree has red bark and huge tough leaves.
    I have Palo Verde trees that are electric lime green with the dainties super tiny leaves that look like lace.

    I can't wait to see the rest of the Alphabet.

    cheers, parsnip

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lynette KillamApril 3, 2011 at 11:16 PM

    Living in Surrey, I love a chance to go over to the Island and see Arbutus trees...they are quite singularly beautiful. Wonderful choice for the A word...:)

    Lynette
    Imagination Lane

    ReplyDelete

I really appreciate your comments.

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