Whimsically growing cork oak in spring with yellow spring flowers against a bright blue sky in the hills of Monchique in Portugal. Located in the western part of the Algarve, it is a beautiful area to enjoy and hike. With the added advantage that it is not jam-packed with tourists.
I came across this beautifully shaped tree on one of my walks. It survived the previous year's fire thanks to its insulating cork layer, as a resident told me, and is sprouting again in a beautiful way.
The number 8 refers to the year the tree was last peeled. Important because a cork oak should only be peeled once every 8 - 10 years.
Peeling ( eken ) is done entirely manually with special axes and manpower.
Specialist work that has been handed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years.
Only after 20 years may such an oak be peeled for the first time, and it can reach 150 - 200 years of age.
A strong survivor this wonderful tree.
Creating atmospheric images is the style I love. In my photography and painting it is mainly nature, always an inexhaustible source of inspiration.
It is looking, observing and associating where I like to combine my photos and edit them digitally. This creates a new image that you can look..
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