Took Nikki (see Nikki) on a long hike yesterday through Saxon Woods (see In Praise of Northern Hardwood Forests). Beautiful piece of forest. I was probably most impressed by the huge tuliptrees (shown above) scattered throughout the canopy.

The tuliptree or tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) is one of the largest native trees in North America. The species can reach a height of over 150 feet, a diameter of 8 to 10 feet, and exhibit a bole that is straight as an arrow and free of branches. Loggers love it. [NOTE: The greyish, deeply-furrowed, interlacing bark (which look like "ski-trails" to me) is charactersitic of mature trees].