Thursday, May 17, 2012

Burd Run Under the Willows

I went out to the Burd Run riparian restoration project site on Britton Rd. this morning in hopes that the place looked more photogenic when fully clothed. What I noticed is that most of the trees down by the creek are Willows, and streams flowing under Willow trees are pretty scenic.




The trail through the project site is mostly just a mowed lane in the meadow outside the tree zone around the creek. This time of year that trail is carpeted with Buttercups.


While most of the Willows by the creek are young and recently planted, there's one old-timer up toward the northeast end of the trail that makes me think of Old Man Willow in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. I didn't see Tom Bombadil bouncing along the trail, so I resisted the urge to rest at the roots of the tree and dangle my feet in the creek.




Whenever I think of Willow trees I remember the song "On the Willows" from Godspell. I know, most people my age would probably think of "Willow Weep for Me"; I do too, especially Lady Day's version. But I have a special place in my heart for "On the Willows", so here it is:


Okay, okay, you get "Willow Weep for Me" by Lady Day, too. 


Photos © 2012 by A. Roy Hilbinger

2 comments:

  1. Roy,
    I love your photos of the willow trees. They take me back to the pastures I frequented as a little girl in upstate NY that were filled with Holstein cows from my parents dairy. I now live in WV and am a teaching painter interested in landscape imagery. May I use your images in a lecture I will be giving to students about my work in January, with acknowledgments to you? I would be grateful. The willow I played under was cut down years ago so that its creek could be widened. It still saddens me that it is gone.
    My email: jennifer@jenniferyerdonlejeune.com
    Many thanks,
    Jennifer Yerdon LeJeune
    (jennifer@jenniferyerdonlejeune.com)

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