The Heart of the Oak

"The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now." - Anonymous.


There is a tree that I coveted for a very long time before I stopped and took my first photos of it. It is a white oak that stands proudly in a farmer's field just inside the Centre County line in Baileyville, which is near Pennsylvania Furnace.

Since then, I have bought a little tree book, and so now I know more about this tree, and about a number of other famous trees in the county where we live. According to the book, The Notable Trees of Centre County, historically speaking:

"White oak was the dominant species in the Nittany Valley. A number survived, and even now, those 200- to 300-year-old trees can be found scattered among small farm woodlots, near farmhouses, and in residential areas of Centre County."

There is another white oak I enjoy and photograph frequently. It's the Arboretum's famous Witness Tree, also called the Hosler Oak, which was transported to Penn State from a Lancaster nursery via a flatbed truck in 2005. It was the first thing planted in the gardens, and is called the Witness Tree because it is expected to bear witness to the growth of the gardens.

At the time of its transplanting, the Hosler Oak was 35 to 40 years old, and it is expected to live several hundred years. The birds love to sit at the very tippy top of its branches. I've often watched the morning sun arrive through its leaves. The tree often graces my photos of the children's garden (in spring, and in winter).

I love the idea of a tree bearing witness to everything it has seen in those several hundred years, and keeping all of those memories and experiences. The Baileyville Oak featured in this photo is MUCH older than the Witness Tree. If I could, I would touch its trunk with my fingers and ask it - What precious memories do you keep locked up in your heart of hearts, dear oak?

The soundtrack is a tune by Richard Hawley called Heart of Oak.

(Note: April 29 is Arbor Day in the U.S. PLANT A TREE!)