Tree #4 Arbutus

In Washington state we call it Madrona.   Here it’s Arbutus (menziesii. after the same naturalist who travelled  to the Pacific Northwest with Captain Vancouver in 1791 and for whom the doug fir is named).  It grows on the west coast from British Columbia to California.  It’s an evergreen (that loses it’s dark waxy green leaves all year, drying out and slippery.) with rich orange-red bark that peels away in thin sheets, leaving a smooth satiny greenish appearance.   In the spring it has little white flower clusters in the fall, red berries. they can get quite large up to 98feet and 5-8 feet in diameter.  Natives ate the berries and used them for decoration and the bark and leaves were used for medicinal purposes.  The wood is very dense so burns long and hot.  And it makes a beautiful floor if treated right. (we have a large one we had to fell and were told to soak it in the salt water for a year before making it into lumber.   Well,  much too difficult that is! )  We made a large fairy chair out of its twisty branches years ago and it got brittle and just now has collapsed. (the first extra--I looked for a photo and found this one from 2006!  that's Tatum and her parents!)   It was impossible to find a tree alone and they look their best with some sun on that bark, so this is the best I could do, now that the sun is barely getting over the trees to our NW facing shore.   There are more arbutus on the south side of the island that gets more sun,.   I think it’s definitely the most “painterly”tree  so that’s what I did…a topaz “venitian (?) paint” filter.   The tall straight trunk in front is a cedar.  I see this rocky point (with Ca and US flags blowing with a north wind)) from our cabin deck.

other 2 extras:  If I was a “proper birder” I’d let go of the tree series today and blip this bird that got into our screened dining porch and couldn’t get out.    I could get close for decent pictures but then had to wrap a towel around it to take it out,.  It’s a beautiful small juvenile sharp-shinned hawk!! (says my Sibley bird book)  Pretty cool!   We’ve repaired the screen I think he flew into.