I love bark, I’m fascinated by it… not just to help me identify a tree, but because there is such an infinite variety of colours, patterns, textures, it is wonderful and interesting.. The bark protects the underneath tissue of a tree and develops as the tree matures; the outer part of it is made up of dead cells and often has a characteristic and particular colour, pattern and texture. The inner part has living tissue, and the purpose of it is I guess a bit similar to our skin, to stop things getting in, like insects and disease. The middle part of the tree, the heart of the tree is called xylem, between the xylem and the outside bark there is the cambium and each year as the tree grows, layers of cells are added to make the tree bigger, in every direction, upwards and outwards. There is something else called the phloem… but I think I have enough new words for today!
Bark is a really useful thing, not just for making canoes or baskets, clothes, all sorts of things, but also, of course, corks are made from the particular bark of a cork tree… actually it isn’t a cork tree it is a type of oak, called the quercus suber, or cork oak. Bark also has medicinal properties, which no doubt have been known throughout the ages but are being rediscovered now, tested and used to help a variety of ailments.
I like bark because of its variety, and if I’m out with my camera I can’t help but take pictures of it, especially if marks on the tree have taken on the appearance of a particular thing such as an animal or a human face. It’s a very tactile thing, lovely to touch, to just put your hand on and feel the tree, that magical thing!
Here is a nice site with some photos to help identify different trees from their bark:
http://paulkirtley.co.uk/2011/bark-buds-common-european-deciduous-trees-winter-identification/
Lois Elsden 
There is a tree close to me that has an image of Jesus on it which I think was in a knot hole. Almost everyone in our city went to visit it and people adorned it with rosary beads and crucifixes. I drive by it almost every day and give very little thought to what it meant to so many people. It’s just another tree now but it had it’s day in the sun. Maybe the image faded or got grown over. I will have to go look at it again.Thanks for reminding me!
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That’s really interesting… I wonder if it happens often, I can imagine it does.
While we were on holiday in Yorkshire last year we came across a tree with wide cracks in its bark, naturally so, but people had pushed coins into the cracks and the tree was almost covered with coins. I wonder if originally there was some sort of bark design, before it got lost by the coins and the tree growing?
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great post Lois….I am currently visiting an area that has lots of wonderful paper bark and stringy bark trees ….I took a couple of pics on my morning walk which I will share with a haiku so etime soon. Yes, bark is tactile and fascinating! 🙂
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I look forward to enjoying them, Stephanie!
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