It is late June and I am only just now seeing my first confirmed monarch sighting of the year. This butterfly was moving so quickly that I just barely got a few blurry photos of it. Her wings were faded and ragged, but she did lay at least one egg there on the milkweed here in Asheville. I have  not seen any in Chapel Hill. Has anyone else seen any monarchs this year?

I saw several when I was in Columbia.

While we were in Asheville last week, I kept seeing this unusual weed everywhere. It’s leaves were shaped like miniature oak leaves! So I looked it up using the Seek app and it was identified as clammy goose foot. The photo in the app matched the plant I was seeing perfectly. 

Clammy goosefoot, what hilarious name! I will not forget it anytime soon. 

Sometimes my husband and I go to Asheville to visit our daughter. At the house where we stay there are gardens and several big beautiful trees. There is this one tree though, that is so big. It must be around 400 years old! That’s my best estimate, not being a tree expert or anything. 

Lately I’ve been trying to imagine what it must’ve been like around here before it was ever logged. And part of that is that I am noticing the sizes of the trees and especially making note of the extra large trees. Well, this particular tree at the house in Asheville is the largest I’ve seen since I’ve begun this effort. 

OK, so it’s really big! The trunk is like a wall it is so wide. About 35 feet up it divides into two branches. Each of these is about the size of a regular large tree. Then after 15 more feet it branches into six very large branches the canopy doesn’t begin until about 50 feet up and the whole tree is probably about 85 feet tall. It is truly a giant! 

It’s presence is so quiet and majestic. It’s like being next to an elephant that hasn’t moved in 400 years. 

This tree must’ve been standing there watching as the house was built in the 1880s. And it must’ve seen so much history during its lifetime!  Why aren’t there more trees like this? 

I am thankful that this tree has been allowed to reach its current potential. I would love to see what it looks like in another 400 years.