Palm Trees

In my Photo of the Day today (Palm shadow) Karen mentioned in the comment section that she didn't know that palm trees needed to be trimmed.  I thought that was rather interesting, so I decided to do a little informational post.  (It also gave me a reason to go out and take some photos!)  I looked for an untrimmed palm tree, but couldn't find one that I could get to easily - so I went to Google and found this one.

Photo from Rambling Junketeers

The palm fronds usually don't fall off.  They dry up and fall over, but never come off of the trunk.  It looks like a big shaggy column when they haven't been trimmed.  They are also a huge fire hazzard.

There are several different looks to a trimmed palm tree.  Some are more attractive than others, depending on the tree.  Come with me and I'll show you!

This is typical.  The fronds are cut off at a point that is easy to get to and not too labor intensive.  This type of trimming leaves a large bulb just under the new fronds.  As the cut portions dry they end up hugging the tree a bit more.  All sorts of wonderful things grow and hide in these little spaces, as you can see above. 

This is the perfect little home for a gecko to hide out during the afternoon sun.  I've seen many of them peeking out from behind these little arrows.  I doubt that's a technical term for these.  It's just what I call them :)

Another common sight is this one.  The fronds have been cut as above, but when the tree trimmers come back out months later to trim the next batch that has fallen, they also trim up the arrows that were left behind.   There aren't as many hiding spots for critters and plants, but the moss sure love this.  This example is right here in my condo complex.  I think it's really pretty.

See all the clouds in the sky?  That's part of the storm system from Hurricane Ida.  We only got a sprinkling of rain and a bunch of wind, but the dense cloud cover was so odd.  Especially since it lasted all day.  Anyway, back to the palm trees.  This next example shows some examples of different trimming techniques.  The ferns just love this tree!  The dead palm fronds have been cut very near the trunk like the first example, but when the trimmers came back, they trim away the arrows as close as possible. 

Here's a close up of the ferns.  You know those lovely ferns that shed their tiny little leaves all over the place when you have them in the Northern climates?  When I lived in Michigan I just stopped buying ferns for houseplants.  I could kill them in less than a week.    They grow all over the place here in Florida.  No one even has to take care of them.  They just grow in the nooks and crannies of the palm trees.  Isn't that cool?!  I think so.

and finally... here is the perfectly manicured trunk of that last palm.  This is a pretty good shot if I do say so myself!  You can see the little bits of lichen growing here.  It doesn't matter how the trunks are trimmed, something finds its way to use it as housing.

I hope you've enjoyed my observances of palm tree trimming.  I'm sure an expert could give a whole lot more information on the wheres and hows and whys but hey, I'm a photographer and blogger :) 

Have a fabulous day!
Kristin

NaBloPoMo site of the day - 365 Days: Art Projects and Life through a Lens