The Yew is the National Tree of France but I think it should be the Sycamore, Platanus racemosa.
The entrance to almost every small town in France is announced to drivers by a long tunnel of overhanging sycamore trees. In the town where I live, we have the usual allee at the entrance but also a long row that lines the river and a giant bosque in the plaza where the locals play petangue in the shade. They are of bare in the winter and the shade is gone but not their beauty. I took the opportunity of this past rainy Sunday to get my seven year old out of the house and take a walk with my camera.
Along the promenade
Shade for the petanque players
Because Sycamores are riparian trees and used to getting disturbed by flooding rivers they are pretty resilient. It looks like this one has been burnt and then cut down but the stump won’t give up
Wet Sycamore bark had to be the inspiration for camouflage
Metal grates and concrete walls are no obstacles for the resourceful sycamore
Taking a drink from the rivers edge
This one makes a nice finish to the stairs to the river
View from the bridge
I've loved sycamores since I learned to climb trees but I’m not looking forward to the pollen season. ☺
Hope you like the photos and sorry for the fuzziness of some of them.
Rees
