Twisted Tree

joanstewart(74)

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#treetuesday

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Tangled Trees on #treetuesday hosted by @old-guy-photos

Not all trees grow straight and tall, the tangled short ones look like grandma's wool in a mess along with crooked knitting, branches poking out in odd places, falling to the ground lifting themselves up to grow a little further.

These tight knitted trees are always full of surprises once you look into them, here sitting quietly is a Malachite Kingfisher close enough to water to watch for small fish or other food around the slow flowing stream.

^{The malachite kingfisher is a river kingfisher which is widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara.}

Some water slowly spills out from the stream creating a sort of marsh land for a variety of trees to thrive, the mix of trees is amazing being sub-tropical you see a wide variety spread out enjoying the pool.

Rambling along the sand path through the tangled trees gives you an idea of how vegetated this region once must have been, small buck could be hiding among the low flung branches one would have to approach very quietly to see them.

Massive leaves fall during winter, not all will drop only the older ones appear to go golden with red then make a carpet under the tree locking moisture in during the dry winter months.

Dead leaves float down onto twigs, ended up looking like a spider sitting quietly waiting for it's prey, splendor of life and death happening simultaneously ever-green trees shed a few leaves not many, never leaving a tree bare of foliage.

Masked weaver builds his nest at the end of a branch hanging over the water, these little birds build everywhere they find palm trees normally to shred for building, strong material.

Palm tree taken over by a climber the palms look like they have seen better days, the Yellow fever tree stands above the rest, this tree is normally a favourite of the weavers to build up in.

Looking through the trees with bamboo swaying in the background, we have the odd patches of bamboo that grows close to the river in the area nothing in comparison to the bamboo forests over seas, still lovely to see in the wild.

In parting a reminder all photography is my own, resized for convenience uploading, closing off the day a winter African sky, lined up sihouette of young sausage tree, palm tree and yellow fever tree.

Thought for today: ** Monkeys don't advise there young ones to be careful on trees they just remind them of the distance to the ground. ~ African proverb**