Deodar cedar

When I left the office at lunch today, I hadn't intended to take part in the Tiny Tuesday challenge.

I walked past one of the trees on campus and noticed there was a plaque nailed to it telling me that it was a Deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara) and it was part of the University of Manchester Tree Trail. All interesting stuff!

As I was reading the plaque, I noticed a line of ants running up and down the tree and today's challenge popped into my head! As it turned out, a fast moving ant was way beyond the focus of my old mobile phone. However, as I was looking for a 'slow' ant, I saw a beautiful crystal droplet hanging off the bark and it reminded me of a Swarovski crystal earring.

Blipfoto has opened my eyes to the wonder of nature that is all around us, but hidden from sight in the day to day blur of life. Without it, a beautiful, tiny droplet of sap would have gone completely unnoticed against the sheer size and scale of the tree.

Quote for today:
The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.
- Chinese proverb