• Monday-What'sUP September 28 - 06:03 pm

Trees all over the Upper Peninsula mostly just grow straight and look like a number of other trees, but once in awhile when hiking through the woods, you stumble upon one that really stands out in your mind. Today we feature some examples of what I'm talking about... Jim Alain sent me the top photo of an unusual tree he found when hiking around the Clark Mine area, near Copper Harbor. Jim gives a bit more specifics on the location, saying that it was east of the Clark Mine and north of Lost Lake. He said he's gone back to look for it and has never had any luck locating again, so if anyone else has spotted this tree or knows of it, he'd be interested.

The next tree was photographed by Karl Berg and what catches your eye about this one, is the size, compared to all the small trees in the same frame. It looks like it's been standing around there for awhile and seen many a summer and fall pass by.

The last photo today, belongs to Doug Smith and shows a somewhat common occurrence with trees along the shores of Lake Superior. There's often not enough soil left after years of wave action washing it away, so their roots don't have much to hold onto and they begin a gradual fall into the shallow waters along the beach. This one seems to be suspended just over the water and at first I thought it had leaves that had turned a burnt orange already. But on closer inspection I realized it's a pine tree, with some of it's needles still green, while the uppermost branches look like they're already dying off.

The colors around the Keweenaw here are in various stages, depending on where you are, but not at the peak color yet, that I can tell you for sure. We're working on getting a weekly report from our "eye in the sky," so you'll have an "up to date" look each week, at what the colors are doing for the fall season. Stay tuned for updates.

Must be something in the water around Clark Mine/Estivant Pines; I have seen 3 or 4 different trees that look like corkscrews hiking around that area, although I don't remember this particular tree off-hand. I have photos of a couple of them but wouldn't you know it, I'm at work and the photos are at my house......

While we were there we saw a tree worthy of a picture, but I don't think we took one and I don't remember where it was. So much to see UP there!

Hmmm...there are wal'nut' trees, chest'nut' trees, so the first photo must be of a do'nut' tree.:)

I'm not sure Mary, but on the third picture, I see branches growing out of the main trunk, and they do not have evergreen needles but hard wood leaves. What you see is a bush growing in front of the tree. I could be wrong.

Mary says: Let's take a closer look...

I agree with Shirley the first one could be Dunkin-Americana, planted by a disgruntled cop.

We have fun looking around for unique trees too, there is one on the potowatomi trail in Pinckney that Taylor and I call the Witches hat.

Neat pic of the circular tree, Jim, thanks. Too, thanks Karl and Doug for the other two pics. I've never seen a circular tree up here...in my garden, I planted a Harry Lauder tree, which has a most unique gnarled and twisted branch structure.

Wonderful photos, thank you so very much for sharing.

I've taken photos of some strange looking trees in my day, but I've never seen anything like that doughnut tree!

I can not send in photos of anything from where I live, but I took a picture of a big tree that looked like it had rotted out from the ground up about 4 feet and someone put cement inside of it. The tree was about 4 feet wide and the shape of the cement looks like a tee-pee inside the tree.

Interesting, wonderful, and scenic.

Okay Mary I concede. After looking at the tree again I see what I thought were leaves are colored pine needles. The eyes aren't as good as they used to be.

PLEASE don't let the leaves change anymore till I get up north this weekend. It has bee nearly 40 years since I've seen the color. I don't want to miss it this year. :-)

I'm still in Florida until this weekend so please hold on till I get there.

While hiking the Presque Isle trails in the Porkies Memorial Day weekend this year, we came upon a "hollow" tree in which my daughter stood inside its trunk for a very cute picture. Wish I knew how to show the picture here.

i like shirlohio's speculation

The 3rd picture is the famous family "leanin-tree" at my Uncle's camp on Bete Gris. It's been slowly getting lower and lower into the bay for many many years now. It is a pine tree. Was once straight and tall.... back in some photos from the 70's.