This is the bark of the heliotrope tree
(Heliotropium foertherianum), a wonderful
shade tree commonly found on the
beaches of Hawaii. I love to photograph
trees when the sun is low in the sky—at
sunrise or sunset. When the morning sun
shines on the trunk of a beach heliotrope,
the bark appears golden yellow.
I took this close-up of a very old
ficus tree (Ficus microcarpa), a
street tree in Los Angeles. I call this
"Wave Bark" because it reminds
me of a wave line as one would see
it when standing on a cliff above
a point break. It's easy to get lost
in the patterns and shapes of bark
when we take the time to slow
down and appreciate its beauty.
Growing up in Hawaii, I knew this as the
paperbark tree (Melaleuca luecadendra).
As kids we would have contests to see who
could peel the biggest piece of bark off.
36 CityTREES
