Terri’s theme for this challenge is Trees. She asks us to share any kind of trees and be creative with the simple prompt. I am going to focus on three types of trees we see all around us in Coastal and South Georgia.
My featured image is a mixture of Live Oak trees and palm trees in our neighborhood. The first image in the below gallery is a Maritime Forest on Jekyll Island. The other two are Live Oak trees draped with Spanish Moss.
Cabbage Palms, also known as a Sabal Palmetto, is the only palm tree native to Georgia.
The final gallery shows Cypress trees in the Okefenokee Swamp in south Georgia.
This week Egidio challenges us to go Into the Woods for some Forest Bathing. He tells us “Shinrin-yoku is a concept that was developed in Japan in the 1980s as a form of natural therapy and stress relief. In English, it is translated as “forest bathing” or immersing oneself in a forest atmosphere. It is a way to allow all your senses to experience nature mindfully.” His challenge is to show how we do forest bathing in our corner of the world.
I think I was “”forest bathing” before I knew what it was. I just know that I love the quiet of being in the woods. I feel peaceful and calm when I stand in the woods surrounded by trees.
I think that I shall never see, A poem lovely as a tree. – Joyce Kilmer
The trees in my home state of Georgia vary depending on where you are in the state. In coastal Georgia the common trees are pine trees, oaks, palmettos, and palm trees. The featured image is of a maritime forest on Jekyll Island. The following gallery was taken on a Georgia marsh hammock near my neighborhood. Wood Storks are one of the many wading birds that are seen on the trees here.
The Okefenokee Swamp in south Georgia is filled with Cypress trees. Seeing these ancient trees from a boat makes me feel like I have stepped back in time.
Cypress Trees in the Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia
Sweet Gum, Winged Sumac, Maple, Sycamore, Pine, and Water Oaks are just a few of the trees that I see when walking in the woods of middle Georgia. The landscape changes with seasons. No matter what the season I feel a sense of serenity in these woods.
Early Spring in the Georgia woods
Wild Dogwoods bloom in the spring in the Georgia woods
Summertime in rural Georgia woods
Many thanks to last week’s guest host SH for his challenge of Quiet Hours. Your responses to the challenge took me to many beautiful quiet places. I hope you will join us next week as Tina leads us in our next Lens-Artists challenge on Saturday, July 26 at noon Eastern Time.