Majestic 800 year old oak tree, ©rq, all rights reserved
This week rq has sent us gorgeous photos of a majestic oak tree that looks straight out of a fairytale. rq says:
This oak is 800 years old or thereabouts and has earned the title of dižozols, which means ‘Grand/Great Oak’. If a tree adheres to specific criteria regarding trunk diameter and height and other things, it can also aspire to dižkoks status and people can send in submissions to the registry. They get marked on a map as objects of tourist interest, and also go down for preservation measures if anything happens or threatens their surroundings.
This one! Is the second tallest Great Oak in the country at 23m in height, with a trunk circumference of 7.1m or so. It is well and alive, and hosts a large number of birds in its branches, including being permanent home to an owl. It is also hollow inside, home to an unidentified bird, possibly a dove or wood pigeon or some such (see final photo, it’s dim, but there was definitely a bird hissing at me when I peeked in).
I visited at sunset, it sits above a winding creek and overlooks some farmland and marshes.
rq thanks so much. 800 years seems like an impossibly long time for a tree to live, but there it is. This is definitely a tree that I would like to see in person. There are several photos (all of them beautiful) and the rest are below the fold.
Oak tree, ©rq, all rights reserved
Majestic oak in the setting sun, ©rq, all rights reserved
Oak tree at sunset, ©rq, all rights reserved
A very surprised little bird, ©rq, all rights reserved
There is a very ancient tree on Blithewood lawn at my alma mater. Struck by lightning more than once, half hollowed out by fire, still spreading to the sun.
It even has its own plaque! That is so cool. What a gorgeous tree.
Not just a plaque, but nocturnal lighting, too! They take old trees very seriously here.
Wow, what a majestic tree, quite a treasure! I really like the sunset photos and the unidentified little hissing dinosaur. :)
What a queen to reign the landscape like this.
And what a cute little birdie
I love both the thickness and the cragginess of the trunk. A majestic tree indeed, home to so much life.
Magnificent tree. We have similar system for memorable trees and there is one (300 years old oak) near our town. Unfortunately not close by and the tree is not positioned well for taking pictures.
I have an oak tree in my yard.
It’s about 3cm diameter, maybe 25 years old.
chigau
An excellent start!