Figure 1 – Close-up of cedar bark, Ipswich River National Wildlife Refuge, Topsfield, MA. (c) DE Wolf 2019.

Another pleasure of the northern clime are the cedar woods. I went hiking this past Saturday with a friend at the Audubon Ipswich River Wildlife Refuge. This is a wonderful site and some of its special wonders are the ancient cedar trees. Cedars are delightful for their smell, their rusty red coloration, and their texture. And, of course, they connote cleanliness and freshness because of their use in cedar closets, where they protect clothing from moths. I took several photographs of them with my i Pone XS. First, Figure 1 is a close up of a grand old cedar and really is a texture shot. I love the green mosses which accentuate the red wood. Second, Figure 2 is a pair of cedars that appear to be conversing. They are perhaps ents discussing whether to join the legions of the Middle Earth against the dark forces of Lord Sauron. This latter may be the most appropriate, symbolic of the fight to preserve the natural world and, indeed. the future of life on Earth.

Figure 2 – Cedars in Converstion, Ipswich River Wildlife Refuge. (c) DE Wolf 2019.