Image Description
A side view of a Western Sycamore Tree located in the Santa Rosa Plateau Reserve - Riverside County, CA.
Awhile back I shared a story about some gate crashers on this reserve that did not “honor” pay the going fee. They met up with a skunk that solved the problem by spraying them both. Made my day.
About an hour later I was photographing this tree side and down the path comes none other than Pepe Le Pew on a stroll sniffing along the vegetation. Seeing him headed my way I said; " hey now, I paid the fee I hope we won’t have any issues here". He must have understood and took another route…thankfully.
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Pertinent Technical Details
Mamiya RB67 ProSD - Mamiya “C” 140mm macro lens - Hoya CP - Velvia 50
Paul: There’s a lot to explore and like in this image and the story is a hoot. Would love to see what the Velvia rendered in color just for fun. Top notch as it is though. >=))>
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@Bill_Fach …first and foremost I think you’d indicated that both you and your wife are USAF vets? Regardless, as ex-USAF myself a salute goes out to all who have served our nation on this Memorial Day Holiday.
With that said, thank you for your review and comment on this image. Here is a link to the original Velvia 50 Version.
@Paul_Breitkreuz Thanks for your well wishes. We are indeed both USAF vets. What a privilege it was to serve. BTW, if you have Netflix there is a documentary about the Thunderbirds that is just outstanding. I was their eye doctor (the pilots certainly didn’t need my services but the support staff did) from 1980-84. I was there for the January 1982 accident that saw four of them fly into the ground. At that time they were flying T-38s and because they were all two seaters one could get a joy ride with the right connections. I was working on that project when the accident happened but never got to go up with them. The accident also triggered the switch to F-16s so the ride along program went away. I do have a personally signed photo of the first F-16 team in my office that generates a lot of comments. Hard to believe all that happened over 40 years ago.>=))>
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Excellent work on this bark image, Paul. Great job getting such nice crisp focus throughout and you found a wonderful “pattern” to work on. Was this all the peeling bark or was there a lot of lichen on it (It has the look of the latter, but I thought sycamores shed their bark too frequently for lichen to establish well).
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@Dennis_Plank thank you for the review on this image.
I would have to plead ignorance on the condition or stage of the bark here. It was just a healthy looking tree to me and although I knew it was a sycamore I had to look up the version located in this reserve.
I did notice at the time what looked like “acorns” ? embedded in the bark or skin of the tree… 
Paul, I though this was bark, but there’s such a strong swirling sense that I wasn’t sure. The details, the full spectrum of luminosity and the dynamism make a great image.
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@Bill_Fach @Dennis_Plank @Mark_Seaver
Mark, thank you for your comment as it had me taking a poke on line as I always thought sycamores had “Skin” if you will. On the contrary, as you all pointed out or mentioned, it’s “Bark”
UPDATE: The Western Sycamore (Platanus racemosa), a species of plane tree native to California, is a tall, distinctive tree that stands out in any landscape. This tree is known for its bark, which is mottled in shades of pale tan, gray, and white. The bark peels as it ages. It has twisting branches and large leaves which turn orange-yellow in the fall. It produces seed balls after blooming. It’s an important host plant for the Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly.
