Moreton Bay Fig Trees

Anyone who has followed this blog for some time will know of my obsession (one of my obsessions!) with the extraordinary Moreton Bay Fig Trees- especially those on La Mesa Drive. A member of the Banyan tree family, Ficus Macrophylla originates in the rain forests of Australia and sends down aerial roots which, on establishing themselves in the ground can help support the weight of the often massive limbs.

What is special about La Mesa Drive is that the trees form a wondrous avenue on a crescent; you walk along the road seeing one amazing tree after another...On returning to LA, one of the first things I did was to walk down this street, falling in love with the trees all over again and feeling ecstatic...

Starting with a general view:


And here are some of the aerial roots- I love the different textures between them and the main bodies of the trees, the difference between youth and old age :



This is one of my favourite trees, incredibly sculptural:


And here is a mad tree:


Another thing I love is the way the trunks and branches frame their backgrounds:



Here there is a contrast with a delicate little Fall, yellow-leaved Ginkgo tree:


And here one of the human-like sculptural shapes:


I find the individual patterning on the bark engrossing:


Especially when contrasted with the terracotta aerial roots


And as for the aerial roots....







These I just like for their bony quality:


Now for the figs, which I find quite delightful. Like all figs, they are pollinated by the Fig Wasp, the Fig Wasp only being able to reproduce in the fig flower.




There I will finish- but I'm sure I'll be back again among the Moreton Bay Figs very soon...