In my travels, I've seen ancient trees and I've seen giant trees, but the Angel Oak on Johns Island near Charleston, SC falls into both categories. This magnificent specimen is thought to be around five hundred years old and among the oldest trees east of the Mississippi. It's gigantic and shades an area over 17,000 square feet. The tree is enclosed in a large fenced off area and protected by the city.
The massive tree's trunk is nearly 29 feet in circumference. While the tree only rises to about 67 feet in height, it's long branches stretch out and touch the ground. The longest of which is 187 feet long. Like most Southern Live oaks, the tree grows more horizontally than vertically and the gigantic branches sweep the ground. A couple have even touch down and grown back out of the soil. It truly is a magnificent tree and I'm glad to have been able to stop.
OMG! Those trees would make the perfect tree house.
ReplyDelete