Scots pine bark

The patterns in the bark of trees have often prompted me to take a photograph of their attractive qualities. I have several of plane tree bark, a couple of silver birch bark and sundry others. Today's image shows a section of scots pine bark, a species that I have also photographed previously. Tree bark varies in appearance with the age of the tree. Both the examples of scots pine bark belong to mature specimens.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Red oak bark

The first time I came across and identified red oak (Quercus rubra) was in a Lincolnshire cemetery. Since that time I've come across this attractive North American species in many locations, both urban and rural. The photograph above features the trunk of a member of this species. I liked the semi-abstract appearance of the bark with the jagged verical slits that reveal a red inner, and the contrasting, cloud-like pale green and darker patches.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Cherry tree bark

A maxim I thought up many years ago goes like this: "if you look at something twice or more there's a good chance there's a photograph in it." It's proved to be right much more often than wrong, though that may have something to do with the kind of photographs I take. I've looked at the subject of today's photograph a lot more than once. It's the bark on a cherry tree next to a public playground that we sometimes go to with our grandchildren. I've photographed it a few times too and been unhappy with the shots. But I got something that satisfied me when we were there recently.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Yew meets Munch

The moment I saw this barkless section of the Linton Yew I thought of the Norwegian artist, Edvard Munch, and his most well-known painting, "The Scream". The way the lines of growth sweep together over the surface reminded me of Munch's s rushing, swirling, brushwork. It took only a slight mental leap to see in the bark two asymmetrically placed eyes above an open screaming mouth.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100