A Toppling Tree & Fantastic Beasts

Well, this is ironic. After I wrote last month about my dismay at all the trees being chopped down at the former Camp Buxton down the street, Mother Nature did some tree removal of her own. On a very still and dry evening recently, the top of a huge old oak tree in the woods next to our house suddenly crashed noisily to the ground. I can say that if a tree falls in the forest right next to you, someone can definitely hear it.

The fallen tree was massive and completely blocked the road until the town forestry guys with chain saws speedily got the worst of it out of the way. Mercifully, there was no damage to anyone, or to houses or property. It didn’t even hit the power line. But what if someone had been walking or driving down the street at just that moment? Being killed or injured by a huge falling tree might not happen very often, but it can happen. We walk the dog right past that spot a couple of times a day at least. I guess you just count your blessings and try not to dwell on what if?

The spooky thing is that there was no warning at all that the tree was about to snap off about six or eight feet from its base. One look at the interior showed how rotten the core of the tree was, but Rehoboth abounds in very tall old trees (oak and pine especially) nearing their natural life span. Many are riddled with rot within. They could topple over at any moment and you can’t tell just by looking at them, nor can you just chop them all down. How many will fall in the next hurricane or nor’easter? Another thought to keep a person awake at night.

Big Birds & Beasts on Display

As summer moves into its last few weeks, there are still things I want to do and see, particularly two big and bold displays of outdoor art. One is The Great Elephant Migration in Newport. This collection of 100 life-size elephants is scattered around Newport this summer. They can be found up until Sept. 7 at Salve Regina University, Rough Point, The Breakers (ticket to mansion required to see these 26 elephants) and Great Friends Meeting House. To find out more: https://www.discovernewport.org/blog/post/the-great-elephant-migration/ 

 These artful Indian elephants include sizes from baby to matriarch to bull. The sculptures were created by The Coexistence Collective, a community of 200 indigenous artisans in the Nilgiri Hills in South India. They are made out of “lantana camara”, an invasive weed that threatens native habitats.

And speaking of big things, huge birds arrived at the Blithewold estate on the bay in Bristol this summer. These bird sculptures, made from bamboo, are the creation of The Myth Makers, Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein. They range in size from 15 to 30 feet tall. These big birds don’t fly, for sure. They can be found around the Blithewold property and will be in place for a year, so you will have ample time to see them, including at Christmas.

            Big Beautiful Bamboo Birds includes an Eastern Bluebird (15 feet tall) a 20-foot-tall Peahen with a 20-foot-long tail (you can wander through her tunnel-like interior). Then there is a 25-foot-tall Owl that has a bench inside for sitting, along with a 30-foot-tall Sandhill Crane. There is also a 20-foot-tall Queenfisher (a female Kingfisher) in all her glory. Find out more, including hours and admission fees, at https://www.blithewold.org/

In An Octopus’s Garden

In keeping with the Ocean theme at the Blanding Library this summer, I’ve read two fascinating books by acclaimed nature writer Sy Montgomery. One is “The Soul of an Octopus” which came out a couple of years ago and has lots of local interest since it is mainly set at the New England Aquarium in Boston. A new book by Montgomery is called “Secrets of the Octopus” and it ties in with a three-part National Geographic series streaming on Disney Plus. While Ms. Montgomery is a wonderful writer and the photos are excellent, there is nothing like seeing these octopuses in action, either the Nat Geo series or the one on Netflix “My Octopus Teacher” from a couple of years ago. I’ve learned a lot about these highly intelligent and amazing creatures; they are fantastic indeed!