I think that I shall never see...

Trees have been my fascination of the summer, and California offers a grand variety. The Sequoia are the reigning monarchs: their trunks towering to majestic heights, topped with foliage that forms the roof of the forest. Though some impudent evergreens even send spires above the canopy and dare challenge the authority of the Sequoia, none can approach their stature or magnificence. It is awe inspiring to lean back against the spongy, foliate bark and consider the centuries which have passed as it stands, unperturbed by their passing. The lonely, gnarled oaks on the Golden Hills have not aged so gracefully; time has left them hunched and twisted, with trunks disheveled. However, they are much more approachable than the imposing redwoods and welcome even the least competent climber to explore their branches. Still, they too maintain an aura of timelessness, and though time and weather have left their mark, still they endure.
The lean, quick growing Eucalyptus is the urchin of the lot, with tattered bark, sparse branches, and drab colors. Introduced to form living windbreaks and now invasive, they lean into the coastal gales, windward branches stunted or splintered. The fragrant leaves provide little shade but imbue the groves (and hands which crush them) with an unmistakable odor. Their meager canopy fosters an understory of Manzanita with sanguine, plastic trunks and Madrone whose outer layer of bark peels in papery sheets. These also thrive in the coastal shrub which cower below the wind to the brink of cliffs fringed by shouting waves. Holly's dense foliage provides welcome shelter on the sunburned hills, and her spreading boughs furnish plentiful seating. Sycamore, Alder, and Cottonwood populate streambeds, tracing green veins through the brown of drought. The Jacaranda, Palm, and Citrus offer flamboyant reminder of the tropical climate, despite the dearth of precipitation. On higher slopes Pine, Incense Cedar, and Fir erect sylvan cathedrals, with stately columns and flying buttresses. Needles above soften the sun and create mosaics of light, while those below deaden footfall to preserve the due solemnity. The evergreens even provide the incense - perpetually burning to perfume the forest with the pungent scent of Wilderness.