More than roots

Tramping through the hillside meadow that sits in front of the Conifer Path, I came upon some Dawn Redwoods, those amazing trees brought back from extinction through the efforts of Arboretum folks, among others. There’s so much going on at the base of these trees – roots swirling in any number of directions, growths of lichen (or is it moss?), dead and dying needles. It seems endless.

 I’m not sure exactly what I think of this image – maybe it doesn’t work, time will tell. But what attracted me was the mess, the variety of shapes and textures that play with the light and almost obscure the roots which were ostensibly what I was shooting. I’ve always been attracted to small visual vignettes that gain in meaning – not to say elegance – as they are framed and separated from their surroundings.

It's partly a minor rebellion against defining beauty narrowly. When we look closely, there’s so much visual grace in our world. It’s an important practice to notice that, celebrate that, allow that to take on greater meaning as other, more traditional sources of beauty fade in our 21st century world.