The King

As mentioned in my previous post, on Saturday afternoon we went to the park for our late afternoon walk.

I took my infrared camera as I was in an infrared mood. The park consists of many trees and winding streams and I was convinced that they begged to be photographed in infrared.

And I was not disappointed.

But then, hidden away, only accessible through a small footpath, I came across this tree.

This is not just a tree.

I am convinced that this tree is the King of this little kingdom. Its roots are firmly gripped into the little patch of soil and its branches stretched far out, forming a shelter for his subordinates against the sun and anything else that may be a threat to them.

The King

I asked the tree for permission to photograph him.

I wonder how many people have sat below this tree in the past. Maybe having a picnic, or maybe getting together to make some important decisions, to celebrate a big achievement, or maybe just to be alone.

I am already planning a picnic in its shade. If the tree allows us, we will be honoured to use this tree's shelter in the future whenever we have something to celebrate.

I love trees, but this one is different, I admire this tree.

Footnote: I promised this post will show the park in infrared, but I found it impossible to share this space with other trees. They will need to wait for another post.

Footnote 2: On Sunday Typhoon Mangkhut swept through Shenzhen leaving a bruised Shenzhen behind. According to local news reports as much as 8000 trees were uprooted. On Monday evening I went to Peoples Park against Xiaoyi's will, to check on The King. The park was closed for the public as the cleanup will most likely take a few days, but I slipped past the barricade and went directly to the tree. It is still proudly standing there, just as it was on Saturday afternoon.