Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Spring Things - Does This Oak Make Me Look Small?

This isn't strictly a "spring thing" except that we visited this in the spring.
There is nothing that can make you feel small as much as a huge object of nature.  Like this live oak tree.  This is just a small portion of the oak, which is called the Angel Tree.  It is located on Johns Island, one of the islands that partially surround Charleston, South Carolina.

The shade it casts measures over 17,000. square feet in area.  The green blotches on branches are resurrection ferns
Here is one of its many branches.
And here is another, haunting view. 

The Angel Oak's age is estimated as somewhere between 500 and 1500 years old.

We had never heard of the Angel Oak.  We heard about it from a native, who said "you just have to see this; it is so peaceful."  Apparently this is quite the attraction, as there were a number of other people there oohing and ahhing.  On private property, it is free (there is a low key gift shop nearby), and there are even picnic tables nearby.

It was peaceful.  It's hard to describe the feeling we had.  Awe?  Something more?

But, there is more to this story.

The Angel Oak is in danger from development. There are some online petitions to convince the City of Charleston not to allow the development, which appears to be for a development called - what else- Angel Oak Village. The Angel Oak may not be directly threatened, but there are other old live oaks in the area, and they will be.

I didn't find anything recent on this development, and hope that future generations will be able to feel the same awe as I did three weeks ago today.

Have you visited a natural place that made you feel especially at peace?  Have you visited the Angel Oak?
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5 comments:

  1. Tor ConstantinoApril 12, 2012 at 11:47 AM

    Those pictures were incredible! Thanks for sharing. As a teenager, my family lived in Israel for almost two years.

    We would camp overnight in the desert sometimes near our home which was incredibly calm - and the sky was so completely open - that's what your post reminds me of.

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  2. Cerebrations.bizApril 12, 2012 at 1:14 PM

    I had no idea an oak tree could live that long!
    And, I've been to Charleston more than a few times and never heard of it. Now, I'll have to add it to my sites to visit.
    Thanks for the share.

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  3. Carolina HeartStringsApril 12, 2012 at 1:24 PM

    I have visited the Angel Oak and it is truly remarkable. I had thought about photographing it for one of our scenic posts but anticipated feeling frustrated by not being able to capture it "right". I love the job that YOU did. I think using Gene as a reference for its size and the two pictures of its breadth and branches captures it very well.

    ReplyDelete
  4. carolinaheartstringsApril 12, 2012 at 1:55 PM

    Love this post. Thanks for sharing such great pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  5. bookwormApril 14, 2012 at 9:37 AM

    I seem to have trouble responding to commenter individually - my comments are published as the last comment no matter what I do. So I want to thank everyone who commented. The Angel Oak was truly a marvel of Nature.

    ReplyDelete

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