I was wandering in Bradley woods this morning and wondering at the brightness of the autumn leaves. On darker days it seems as if they emit their own light as they fall and fade on the forest floor. Yet their fading is not fast and they continue to light my way under the darker tree canopy just as the stars do in the night. Then I recalled the following quote and smiled.
“You know why trees smell the way they do? Stars. Trees breathe in starlight year after year, and it goes deep into their bones. So, when you cut a tree open, you smell a hundred years’ worth of light. Ancient starlight that took millions of years to reach earth. That’s why trees smell so beautiful and old.”
~ Frances O’Roark Dowell.
The photo above is of the wonderful Spanish Chestnuts in Dartington Hall Gardens. Can you see some shapes and faces in the trunks?