Tappahannock Oak III

The first two shots in this series are at Tappahannock Oak and Tappahannock Oak II.

Yesterday, the Missus suggested we trek out to Tappahannock to see the oak tree. It is a hair over an hour away, so I didn't want to go out just to find that looked the same as it did the last time we were there. But we have found that our neighborhood oaks seem to have the same seasonal cycle so we took a walk and found that the trip would likely be worth it.

And it was. A little bit of patience paid off for us. When we first got there, it was solid overcast and the tree blended in with the background. I would have been hard pressed to tease it out in Photoshop. So we went into Tappahannock (population 2,300) and loitered around for a little bit and went back when we saw that the overcast was breaking up a bit. As luck would have it, just a few seconds after we stopped the sun started to break through, lighting up the tree against a solid blue-gray overcast behind.

I'm not sure how many more leaves this one will lose this autumn. Oaks are notorious, especially with those who hate raking, for holding on to their dead leaves until spring. I guess we'll just have to keep coming out to find out. Stay tuned!

[Ricksnap]

Magnificent oak surreally spanning two main roads, great shot

[Tim Erskine]

@jon_lip Jon, on my last shot of this tree you wondered if it would suffer from pollution on both sides. I'm sorry I forgot to reply then, but this road has been here for a very long time. It was designated a US highway (US 360) in 1933. The tree may have been there the whole time, possibly longer, and is thriving with as much sunshine and water as it needs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_360

[Esther Rosenberg]

Remember the two other shots Cleary. What neat tree, no matter which season. Wonder if they ever cut it back ?

[Walks @ 7]

What a great capture

[bkb in the city]

Beautiful tree

[aikiuser (jenn)]

A fabulous tree, nice of the sun to give you a moment worthy of a photo!

[Tim Erskine]

@dutchothotmailcom There shouldn't be any reason to cut it back since that happens on its own when big trucks drive under it. Here's a picture showing where the big 18-wheelers pass under it...

https://365project.org/timerskine/eclectica/2020-11-17

[Tim Erskine]

@ricksnap Thanks! And just to clarify, this is one road. It's a divided highway / dual carriageway.

[Tim Erskine]

@joysabin @bkbinthecity @aikiuser Thank you!

[Jon Lip]

@timerskine
Thanks for the info Tim. I went back and had a look at the first tappahannock tree pic and I'm amazed at how much it's changed. Certainly is a magnificent specimen.

[Krista Marson]

nice series, had fun clicking through them all

[Allison Williams]

Great commentary. It is interesting that for all their grace and nobility, the oaks fall far short on foliage drama. I did a series on Instagram in the Fall, comparing the brilliance of other Virginia trees compared to,oak.