Bark and Vine

This time of year, some vines have lost their leaves and it is possible to see their dried stems overlaid on the texture of the bark. There was one such tree trunk I photographed in Druid Hill Park that appealed to me in much the same way as abstract art. My camera’s autofocus and exposure gave these first two pictures a different ‘feel’; the darker one seems more mysterious and a little sinister – a dark forest.

My favorite image is the most zoomed one – following my usual pattern. Shades of gray and brown…with the swath brittle leaves providing the highlight.

The tree was a tulip poplar…not sure what the vines are. Poison ivy vines would look fuzzy (lots of rootlets holding it onto the tree) and I couldn’t see any suckers that are common for Virginia Creeper. Maybe it is an invasive? It would have provided a little exercise in identification if I had taken a key for vines into the field!