Palm Tree Fingers

As I said before, the Osa Peninsula has no shortage of magical subjects to photograph. And when I saw these palm tree "fingers" I was completely intrigued by their other-worldliness. I know this will show my age, but they remind me of something straight out of the Dark Crystal (weird movie from my childhood).

The "fingers" are actually adventitious roots and the thing I found so visually interesting was the abrupt way they start on the trunk of the tree.

The base of these trees always reminds me of a woman wearing a dress with a big bustle.  It seems that, just like the women who used to wear those dresses, it is difficult for the trees to move around.  This particular tree below, however, appears to be gliding along just fine on her dress of adventitious roots.  I imagine her dancing partner to be the sun and she slowly moving towards him.

The "fingers" below are slightly grotesque but also beautiful at the same time.  I always think, "If I were a sculptor, how would I try to make this?  How much work would it be to make all those fingers?!"  These roots are really stunning when you think about it like that.

The tree below had a nice big "bustle".

Some of the roots seemed extra "hairy." The straw-colored fibers below added even more drama to this rich landscape of texture and color.

I also love the photo below because it captured the three distinct textures of this tree.

I was trying to figure out what it is about these images that intrigues me so much and I think, aside from the repetition (which you know I love), it is the dramatic transition from one form to another. Each texture is amazing all by itself, but when put next to another something marvelous occurs in the contrast.  There is an alchemy in their juxtaposition that creates a visceral, palpable tension.  You can feel this tension where the ocean meets the desert or where the mountains reach the plains.  I believe these places of tension are where the magic lies, where one form gives way to another...they are places of utter transformation.

"Indifference is isolation. In difference is texture and wonder." -Edwin Schlossberg