Bald cypress suggestions

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@baldone
Just a thought to keep in mind. Bald cypress really do not develop "flat tops". At best, thy form low domes, gentle curved silhouettes. But much more likely something totally irregular. The older the tree, the more jagged the profile. Here are some photos of some old trees for inspiration. These are in southern Illinois. There are older stands, but these are the trees I was able to visit.

Leo in N E Illinois

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[Leo in N E Illinois]

Actually in my photos, most of the trees are bald cypress, and very few are "flat tops'. Especially the trees growing in water, those were, or are almost all bald cypress. Cache River, near Vienna, Illinois. The massive "nebari" tree the canoes are circling is a lone tree estimated to be 1300 years old. The field of knees I'm paddling through is from a tree about 850 years old. The Cache River system seems to have batches of survivors., a few at 850 years, a larger number about 500, then a large group at about 100 years with very few individuals of in between ages. Likely that climate favored survival only occasionally for groups of seedlings. Age distribution in the swamp was mapped by SIU students, one of which was our canoe guide.

Winter is the safest time to canoe this swamp. Cottonmouths, and copperheads and the occasional timber rattlesnake make summer trips potentially hazardous. Especially the cottonmouths love to hang out over water, and they get big enough that their bite could put you in the hospital for 3 or 4 days.

 

[Wulfskaar]

@baldone
Just a thought to keep in mind. Bald cypress really do not develop "flat tops". At best, thy form low domes, gentle curved silhouettes. But much more likely something totally irregular. The older the tree, the more jagged the profile. Here are some photos of some old trees for inspiration. These are in southern Illinois. There are older stands, but these are the trees I was able to visit.

Leo in N E Illinois

The most popular Bonsai Community in the WORLD!

www.bonsainut.com

Media added by Leo in N E Illinois

The most popular Bonsai Community in the WORLD!

www.bonsainut.com

I think the flat tops might be more common in the south where they get hurricanes that break off the tops.

EDIT: If you google BC tree shapes, you'll see more pyramidal shapes.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Here are a few Southern flat tops:

 

[LeftHandLuke]

Here are some photos of some old trees for inspiration. These are in southern Illinois. There are older stands, but these are the trees I was able to visit.

Great photos. Appreciate the tree porn.