Recently I was able to visit a very old friend. The Dueling Oak was one of a pair of oak trees, but the other was lost in a storm in the 1940s. They were named because it was a popular dueling site in New Orleans. This tree has seen a lot of history!
City Park has many live oak trees, a variety named for having green leaves all year round. The oldest have some branches that touch the ground. I remember that it made them particularly attractive and easy to climb. Even now, the twisted branches can feel like a friendly arm on a shoulder.
Many trees have Spanish Moss, a plant that gets its nutrients from the air. It hangs on trees but does not harm them. Spanish Moss looks silver, but is actually green inside.
Here is another tree in the park. The trunk of this one lies along the ground, probably from storm damage. It continues to grow, and is another popular place for children to play. There is a lesson in that tree, down and still rising up. Trees are repesentatives of the Lwa, Gran Bwa, and the oaks of City Park are very fine examples in many ways.
Love, Khouzhan Lucy
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