With branches spread high above us, trees observe the seasons of our lives. We climb, swing and play on them as children, carve names of sweethearts in them as teenagers and enjoy their quiet shade in later years.
Gary Ott, Pedernales EC: “Bald cypress trees draped with Spanish moss tower over the slough of Caddo Lake State Park in East Texas.”
Sharman Brown, Fannin County EC: Cardinals seek refuge in an icy crepe myrtle tree next to a bird feeder.
Bobby Norris, Pedernales EC: Aspens turn golden orange in Wyoming.
Mike Prestigiacomo, Bartlett EC: Redwoods
Web Extra: Ivan McKee, Bluebonnet EC: Trees along the San Marcos River.
Web Extra: Victoria Faulkner, Comanche EC: “While hiking [Kasha-Katuwe] Tent Rocks [National Monument] in New Mexico, this tree caught my eye. What a pillar of strength for an ever-changing terrain.”
Web Extra: Bobby Norris, Pedernales EC: Large live oak tree near Llano with an old wagon under its huge limbs.
Web Extra: Jennifer Tuggle, Cooke County EC: A pretty tree at sunset.
Web Extra: Samantha Muschlek, Victoria EC: Coleto Creek Reservoir
Web Extra: Theresa McKee, Fannin County EC: “Closeup of a redbud tree with pinkish-purple buds growing out of the massive trunk in North Texas during the springtime.”
Web Extra: Renee Hagen, Pedernales EC: “A screech owl that likes to hang around in our live oak trees.”
Web Extra: Bob Grimes, Bandera EC: “After 30-plus years of travel to Santa Fe, we finally timed it right to see the aspens changing.”
Web Extra: Charlotte Sanders, Cherokee County EC: “When Hurricane Ike went over our Cherokee County home in 2008, many trees were broken. This old peach tree was one. Life still pulsed through the broken tree, and it bloomed in the spring after the hurricane.”
Web Extra: Alesa Sargent, Central Texas EC: “Old oak in front of my grandparents’ house that was built in 1910.”
