{"id":107208,"date":"2022-10-12T03:42:25","date_gmt":"2022-10-12T09:42:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=107208"},"modified":"2022-10-14T05:55:49","modified_gmt":"2022-10-14T11:55:49","slug":"cottonwood-tree-on-the-jordan-river-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/10\/12\/cottonwood-tree-on-the-jordan-river-trail\/","title":{"rendered":"Cottonwood Tree On The Jordan River Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CottonwoodCottonwood tree bark close up \u2013 Nikon D500, handheld, f7.1, 1\/100, ISO 640, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 195mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Being a tactile person, I appreciated getting close to and touching a cottonwood tree on the bank of the Jordan River on my walk last Sunday. The rough bark of the tree trunk made my fingertips tingle as I brushed them over the ridges and fissures. Nothing on the bark felt smooth and it felt warmer to my touch than the air surrounding me. It was only 44\u00b0F degrees when I parked my Jeep that morning.<\/p>\n

Most often when I am in the field I primarily use two senses to find my subjects, those are my sight and hearing.<\/p>\n

While I’m photographing birds or wild animals, I can only imagine how they would feel on my fingers and skin. Because they are wild, the only time I touch them is when I am rescuing a sick or injured bird or animal. Even then I limit touching them because my touch could stress the injured bird or animal or cause further damage to their injuries.<\/p>\n

When I am walking instead of riding in a vehicle, I can get up close to rocks, trees, flowers, fruits, and leaves and actually feel them with my fingers and exposed skin. I can brush my hand against sagebrush and smell the earthy aroma of it on my fingertips which stimulates one of my other senses.<\/p>\n

I couldn’t smell the bark of the cottonwood tree when I touched it, but I could feel the sturdiness and strength of that tree with my hands.<\/p>\n

When I visited Australia for the first time in the late 90’s, I touched the bark of many kinds of gum trees, or as they are also known, eucalyptus trees. I was intrigued by how some were smooth to the touch, while others were almost spongy, some were rough, and a few felt as if I were touching hieroglyphics engraved on the tree trunks. Those gum trees fascinated me and I touched a lot of them. All these years later, I can still recall how they felt. Our sense of touch can create memories as strong as those created by sight, hearing, and smell.<\/p>\n

\"CottonwoodCottonwood leaf in autumn \u2013 Nikon D500, handheld, f7.1, 1\/100, ISO 640, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 300mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

With the leaves of the cottonwood tree easily within my reach I also had to touch them as well as the bark. They felt cooler to my touch than the surrounding air and they were smooth, almost silky. I picked one leaf and softly brushed it over the back of my hand. It tickled and I couldn’t suppress a smile.<\/p>\n

I’ve cursed our cottonwood trees in Utah on more than one occasion because the “cotton” they produce in the spring gets into my eyes and irritates them. My eyes are very sensitive and I do my best to protect them from irritation. I need my eyes to spot the subjects I photograph.<\/p>\n

Touching the bark of the cottonwood tree on Sunday reminded me that I really should appreciate these trees more than I do. They provide homes for birds and animals, they cool the areas below them, and they are gorgeous in all seasons. This fall along the Jordan River their sunny yellow colored leaves have been bright spots along the trail.<\/p>\n

It would do me good to walk and use my tactile senses more often.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

I believe that this tree is a Fremont Cottonwood<\/span><\/a>. If I am incorrect, please let me know.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my wildflower, shrub and tree photos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Being a tactile person, I appreciated getting close to and touching a cottonwood tree on the bank of the Jordan River on my walk last Sunday. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":107202,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13376,758,709,26],"tags":[970,10484,10494,13379,4620,13377,5679,6583,4302,13378,13380,13381,4427,10660,4076,12949],"class_list":["post-107208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fremont-cottonwood","category-jordan-river-trail","category-salt-lake-county-utah","category-utah","tag-autumn","tag-bark","tag-cottonwood","tag-cottonwoods","tag-fall","tag-fremont-cottonwood","tag-leaf","tag-leaves","tag-native","tag-populus-fremontii","tag-tactile","tag-touch","tag-tree","tag-tree-trunk","tag-trees","tag-trunk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/fremont-cottonwood-leaf-fall-mia-mcpherson-9876.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-rTa","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":108486,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/12\/05\/sycamore-bark-close-up\/","url_meta":{"origin":107208,"position":0},"title":"Sycamore 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I miss her terribly, but she is with me in so many ways. 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