Groundspeak Portal

Through the joy of people visiting waymarks, I was introduced to a blog called Rensselaer Adventures (which I believe is written by nohype1234) that has this post:

Omnivorous Trees

This post contains a few pictures featuring fully grown trees that have extended themselves over and around man-made objects. I think this is pretty interesting and it's not something that I've seen very much.

Is it category worthy? Does it already fit into a category? What do y'all think?

I like it!  There's one two houses down from me that ate an electrical box.

Would it include man-made objects left in trees, like cannonballs and saw blades?

Also, would it have to be manmade or could it include things like large boulders?

I haven't joined a group yet.  I'd be up for this one.

Omnivorous Trees

Nice one. This Spring, I visited a cemetery where one of the trees had swallowed up about 1/2 of a gravestone. Kind of creepy.

This would definitely be an interesting category.

I like it too. Very interesting idea.

Okie dokie! Omnivorous Trees group created.

You should see if there's a website out that to help identify trees, as the type of tree would be pretty interesting to analyze once there's a large number of waymarks in the category.

I like it too.  I think there should be some level of consumption before a tree qualifies though.  You may get a bunch of trees that turned themselves into fence-posts by "eating" the barbed wire otherwise and (IMO) that could get a little redundant.  If you're cool with that, that's fine too.

I haven't seen this a lot so I'm not sure what's common. Is trees eating barbed wire a typical thing to see? My knee-jerk reaction is that I don't have an issue with it as long as the barbed wire is embedded.

I really like this invasive tree photograph that looks like one of those large leeches creeping up on you or an octopus spreading his tentacles.! 

Redneck Parrotheads:

I haven't seen this a lot so I'm not sure what's common. Is trees eating barbed wire a typical thing to see? My knee-jerk reaction is that I don't have an issue with it as long as the barbed wire is embedded.

What came to mind was my great-grandfather's cow pasture.  He was one of the oldest kids in a family with 18 children during the great depression, so he was a pretty frugal guy.  He laid out the fence for his pasture to maximize the number of trees he could use as fence posts and minimize the number of posts he would have to make/purchase while still using as little wire as possible.  So just in his fields, there are probably 50-60ish trees that have grown over the wire. 

Not that I would have any interest in waymarking all of these personally, but as some of them are on a public road front, nothing would stop anyone else from marking at least some of them.  I can't imagine that my Paw was the only guy (or gal) who ever used a tree as a fence post, so, in my imagination, it's pretty common, I don't have a clue about its prevalence in reality though. 

I'd like to believe that this great group  has enough waymarker-discretion to not fill the category with lots of "boring" things too, so...  I think it's a good category idea whether these are included or excluded, I'm just throwing thoughts around. 

There are quite a few around here too (southern Ontario). Many trails run through what was once farm land. I probably see at least 2 barbed-wire eating trees for every forest/woodlot I walk through.

yramc600:

Redneck Parrotheads:

I haven't seen this a lot so I'm not sure what's common. Is trees eating barbed wire a typical thing to see? My knee-jerk reaction is that I don't have an issue with it as long as the barbed wire is embedded.

What came to mind was my great-grandfather's cow pasture.  He was one of the oldest kids in a family with 18 children during the great depression, so he was a pretty frugal guy.  He laid out the fence for his pasture to maximize the number of trees he could use as fence posts and minimize the number of posts he would have to make/purchase while still using as little wire as possible.  So just in his fields, there are probably 50-60ish trees that have grown over the wire. 

Not that I would have any interest in waymarking all of these personally, but as some of them are on a public road front, nothing would stop anyone else from marking at least some of them.  I can't imagine that my Paw was the only guy (or gal) who ever used a tree as a fence post, so, in my imagination, it's pretty common, I don't have a clue about its prevalence in reality though. 

I'd like to believe that this great group  has enough waymarker-discretion to not fill the category with lots of "boring" things too, so...  I think it's a good category idea whether these are included or excluded, I'm just throwing thoughts around. 

First, let me say I really like this idea.  I'm not certain about the prevelance of these trees, however I feel that the category is unique and interesting enough that even only a few trees would make this worthwhile.

Now, to yramc600 and dinoprophet.  No, I don't think those should qualify.  I think the tree should "eat" the object through the tree's growth, not something that was placed in a tree.

rmikelyons:

Now, to yramc600 and dinoprophet.  No, I don't think those should qualify.  I think the tree should "eat" the object through the tree's growth, not something that was placed in a tree.

Well, it's kind of a fine line.  The difference really is something that's near a tree and something that got stuck in a tree.  In either case, an object was put in a position to be absorbed by the tree. 

A backpacking trail I was on recently was a logging area a century ago.  There's one tree where a lumberjack's saw got stuck.  The saw is still there.  And throughout the northeast US, you can find Civil War cannonballs still visible in trees.  Those are the kinds of things I'm referring to.  The tree found something in its way and just kept growing around it.

Certainly the object shouldn't just be stuck in the tree and easily removable.  The tree needs to have grown around the object.

I joined in.

I got a few of those from the past.

I know where there are some that look like figures,faces,monsters and a few other things.

Just for clarity, Geo, this isn't like Simularca where a tree looks like it has a face or whatnot. It must be a tree that's grown over or around something man-made. A tree that grows over a fence, over a significant portion of a brick walkway, over a house, around a bicycle, around a saw, around a canonball... over anything that was made by man. The tree appears to be consuming it. This process usually doesn't compromise the tree's health, but the object is typically destroyed over time... and it definitely isn't easily removed from the tree (without harming the tree).

There's some art that purposefully makes this happen and as long as it meets the criteria, it's included.

What's not included are things like nails, screws, or decorative faces. Things that are temporary and don't require the tree to grow over or around the object for it to be embedded.

Jake39:

I really like this invasive tree photograph that looks like one of those large leeches creeping up on you or an octopus spreading his tentacles.! 

Oh where oh where did the photo go? Disappeared!!! Here is a link and maybe re-post.

Pipe eating tree.

...and link photo

Now let's see if it stays. NOPE!
EDIT: HTML code link didn't work so had to reload and save photo

3rd Edit: Previous post didn't show tree even when refreshed and above links didn't show up until I re posted with "Geocaching" upload page links. (ODD)

dinoprophet:

rmikelyons:

Now, to yramc600 and dinoprophet.  No, I don't think those should qualify.  I think the tree should "eat" the object through the tree's growth, not something that was placed in a tree.

Well, it's kind of a fine line.  The difference really is something that's near a tree and something that got stuck in a tree.  In either case, an object was put in a position to be absorbed by the tree. 

A backpacking trail I was on recently was a logging area a century ago.  There's one tree where a lumberjack's saw got stuck.  The saw is still there.  And throughout the northeast US, you can find Civil War cannonballs still visible in trees.  Those are the kinds of things I'm referring to.  The tree found something in its way and just kept growing around it.

Certainly the object shouldn't just be stuck in the tree and easily removable.  The tree needs to have grown around the object.

OK, I was thinking of someone sticking in a saw blade so they can waymark it.  By your definition, I think those would be ok to waymark, then.

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I could not find the others at the moment but I know what your talking about.

This is not a great image but the other side has 2 headstones almost completely grown into it.And at another site there is one grown into a cedar.Barrel rings and the likes.

J.A.R.S.:

There are quite a few around here too (southern Ontario). Many trails run through what was once farm land. I probably see at least 2 barbed-wire eating trees for every forest/woodlot I walk through.

Funny, I saw one today doing one of your caches and thought of this thread.

On other note: Here's mine from Algonquin Provincial Park.



BQ

the blue quasar:

J.A.R.S.:

There are quite a few around here too (southern Ontario). Many trails run through what was once farm land. I probably see at least 2 barbed-wire eating trees for every forest/woodlot I walk through.

Funny, I saw one today doing one of your caches and thought of this thread. On other note: Here's mine from Algonquin Provincial Park. BQ

Very nice pic!  We've been discussing in the group, though, whether to include natural objects, and specifically boulders.  The feeling has been that it will be confined to man-made objects, with possible case-by-case exceptions for natural objects.

Thanks, but I thought Jake's picture was better... his looked like a dinosaur turtle 'paw' reaching out to pick up a morsel.

BQ

'tis a fine line to to be drawn of what to accept  - barb wire?  tomb/paving stones, boulders?
 Maybe - Unique or one-of-a-kind; without equal, 

This could be a fun category.  We probably see a half dozen really good ones each year on our travels.  Tombstones are interesting, but I've seen them in re-forested farmland eating old farm implements and occasionally an old car becomes a victim as well.  Barbed wire and fences are pretty common.

Jake39:

'tis a fine line to to be drawn of what to accept  - barb wire?  tomb/paving stones, boulders?
 Maybe - Unique or one-of-a-kind; without equal, 

While it's tempting to do so to make sure we have a cream of the crop type of category, we need to avoid subjective determinations. I'd always rather rely on the posters to select waymarks that they believe are outstanding than to put the pressure on officers to judge what's "good enough."

Great idea for a category. 

I agree that subjective requirements should be avoided.