Massive Oak, FW Botanic Gardens

Location: Fort Worth Botanic Gardens
Type: Oak
Age:

Seriously massive tree. The Botanic Garden has installed supporting cables to help suspend the incredibly long lower limbs. The horizontal stretch of these limbs must be close to the tree's vertical height. It's hard to imagine how the tree can physically support the weight of all this mass, even with cables.

The tree is in a spot, not far from the springs, that has been enjoyed as a shady, cool resting place by people and animals throughout Fort Worth's entire history.

Sorry, I have not uncovered the age yet. I'll update once I do.

Trader's Oak, Samuals Ave "Live Oak Point"

Location: Samuals Avenue
Type: Live Oak
Age: 150- 200 years

"Trader's Oak" is witness to the entire history of Fort Worth. It was here when Native American tribes were wandering this prairie, it witnessed the establishment of the Army fort in 1849, and the first election in Tarrant County was held in its shade in 1850. 

The area was once called Oak Point, quite a few massive old oaks, of seemingly similar age, remain nearby. 

Dendroid "Tree-like" Sculptures

Location: Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Type: Metal tree-like sculptures
Age: 4 years

Yet another reason to love the Modern. The museum purchased one of Roxy Pain's famous "dendroid" pieces in 2008. 

"Conjoined" is now installed on museum grounds on the far side of the reflecting pool. This piece consists of two "tree-like" metal trunks that seem to reach toward one another with outstretched tendrils joining in mid-air.

The lofty, elegant form is a beautiful compliment to architect Tadao Ando's masterpiece which houses the museum, as well as a contrasting balance to Richard Serra's weighty "Vortex" located out front.

A piece of original Texas prairie

Location: Tandy Hills
Type: Indigenous prairie
Age: 10,000 years

This is an amazing and little known place - a patch of indigenous prairie hidden just 5 miles from downtown Fort Worth. Look carefully through the branches of the Mesquite tree at left, you can see Fort Worth's sky line.

If you have never been to the Tandy Hills Natural Area, now is the time. The 160 acre natural area is on fire with native wildflowers.

Cliff Garten Sculptures on Lancaster Avenue

Location: Lancaster Avenue
Type: Stainless Steel

Age: 1 year

The city of Fort Worth commissioned this public art for Lancaster Avenue, aka the "Avenue of Light." Aside from the fact that the artist seems to have opted for full-scale, fully installed, final material prototypes to test whether or not the lighting effect works, I like them.

Over the past several months, I've watched the six 35 foot tall stainless steel trunks undergo constant tweaking of the internal lighting in an attempt to get the hundreds of laser-cut layers of torqued steel to reflect properly. External lighting was eventually added, which feels like cheating, but they look pretty great.

Magnolias in Berkeley

Location: Warner Road 

Type: Magnolias

Age: unknown

Berkeley is full of amazing trees. Many of the streets in this neighborhood have that tunnel effect caused by rows of spectacular old trees reaching toward the center of the road from both sides.

These magnolias (two different trees, one on each side of Warner) rival one another in size and bear these prehistoric-sized white flowers.