Wordless Wednesday

River Birch (Betula nigra) bark

About Eliza Waters

Gardener, writer, photographer, naturalist
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85 Responses to Wordless Wednesday

  1. Vicki says:

    Beautiful details on that bark. What a stunning tree and your photo is perfect. Reminds me of some of our Melaleucas and Eucalypts which have peeling bark.

  2. You were definitely barking up the right tree. ๐Ÿ™‚ River birch?

  3. ladyfi says:

    Love the detail!

  4. Beautiful colours and details in the bark. We have a similar tree over here called Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera).

  5. maryjane678 says:

    Very good photo. I’m going to do a flora and fauna feature on the last Friday of each month on my blog and I already have a bark picture in the file. Great minds think alike! We can have a bark competition!! MJ

  6. rajkkhoja says:

    Beautiful post.

  7. Anne says:

    Oh, this is such a beautiful photograph!

  8. Karen Lang says:

    There are many layers in life ๐Ÿ˜Š๐Ÿ’•

  9. Marvellous curling textures

  10. Mother Nature certainly knows how to write a book and capture our attention. ๐Ÿ™‚

  11. neihtn2012 says:

    Is it true that this kind of tree is messy?

    • Eliza Waters says:

      I don’t think of it as any messier than the average tree with leaves to rake up every fall. The twigs tend to break and shed regularly, so perhaps that is what bothers people. It grows fast so the wood is soft and can break in heavy snow or ice storms. It would be a good tree for the edge of a yard where it can be viewed from the house, but not close enough to mess up sidewalks, etc. I think growing them is worth it as they support hundreds of insect species that in turn support birds.

  12. derrycats says:

    Looks like an abstract painting!

  13. Treah Pichette says:

    Gorgeous! Nature’s artwork.

  14. River birches do have wonderful bark.

  15. Cathy says:

    Thatโ€˜s lovely. Makes me want go reach out and touch it. ๐Ÿ˜ƒ

  16. Wonderful curling texture!

  17. Alice says:

    So many colors…I wonder why the bark does that, when bark is supposed to protect the tree. A neighbor has one.

  18. tippysmom2 says:

    It reminds me of an ancient papyrus scroll, just waiting to be for someone to discover the knowledge it holds.

  19. Debbie says:

    My mom wants a river birch in the front yard, but the lawn guy claims they’re messy trees. I can see where he’s right, but there’s something quite beautiful about that bark!

  20. David says:

    Very nice shot. Quite a few people in this neighbor have river birches and it has become one of my favorites. I would trade it and all its messiness any day for my sweet gum! ๐Ÿ™‚

  21. Tranature - quiet moments in nature says:

    A gorgeous photograph Eliza, I love how you captured the different colours and tones xxx

  22. Kris P says:

    You can’t beat peeling bark for providing photo opportunities.

  23. Robin says:

    Ooooh! Love the layers and textures and colors. โค

  24. Bela Johnson says:

    River Birch! Who knew?! All I ever knew were yellow and white birches. This is a great shot, by the way! ๐Ÿ˜€

  25. Widdershins says:

    Skin shedding – not just for snakes. ๐Ÿ™‚

  26. Love the photo and another favorite for the year!๐Ÿ˜

  27. Ah … my favourite bark. What a gorgeous photo Eliza

  28. Interesting image and Great Detail Eliza!

  29. Lovely shot. Iโ€™m more familiar with the paper and silver birch.

  30. Joanne says:

    Oh wow, that’s gorgeous bark, Eliza. I’ve never seen anything like it. ๐Ÿ™‚

  31. Love a good exfoliation. One of my favorites and so fast growing…did not realize they grew that far north..

  32. nshami14 says:

    Beautifully layered, textured shot. I am running my fingers down that bark now and intoxicated because I love the scent of birch.

    • Eliza Waters says:

      Thank you, Nailah. One of my walks goes through a lot of the type of birch that they use for making birch beer. Winter storms bring down their twigs and I’ll pick one up to chew on as I walk… you’d love that I bet!

      • nshami14 says:

        Birch beer. That’s something. I’m not a beer drinker, but I think I’d try it. Once. LOL. But the chewing – yep, I’d do that!

      • Eliza Waters says:

        It tastes a bit like wintergreen-tinged root beer, not much like hop/malt beer, which I don’t much enjoy either. I’ve read that Native Americans used the twigs to clean their teeth as well.

  33. kathydoremus says:

    Love the texture in this picture!

  34. It’s Texture with a capital T.

  35. Nicely seen and captured! I am impressed by all the layers that are hanging on.

  36. aFrankAngle says:

    That’s stunning. Kind of chaotic beauty! Well done, Eliza.

  37. Irene says:

    Lovely closeup. ๐Ÿ˜Š

  38. naturebackin says:

    How beautiful, and interesting too that it hosts so many insects.
    Re the comments on messy – we tend not to think of forests or wild lands as being messy, so perhaps we can think of less manicured gardens as being natural rather than messy?

    • Eliza Waters says:

      Exactly! An intensely tidy lawn (or house) makes me nervous, ๐Ÿ˜‰ as it seems highly unnatural. Nature loves messy, it thrives in it. (I do keep a moderately clean house, btw, but don’t try to ‘eat off my floors!’ Actually, scientists tell us that our immune systems are stronger with a daily dose of friendly bacteria.) ๐Ÿ˜€

      • naturebackin says:

        I also feel uncomfortable in those gardens tidied to the point of sterility. It must require a high level of vigilance to keep gardens so unnatural whereas a garden is more fun as a place to relax and unwind. And houses too are made to be lived in, especially now when we spend so much time at home.
        Yes and sterile can be literal as well as metaphorical, and good to know that neither are necessarily good for one ๐Ÿ˜Š

  39. Laura Denise says:

    Whoa! So much layered textured. Very cool!

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