Green Calm, Blue Quiet

Six Word Photo Story: Freestyle

Pin oak leaves pinned to sky.

There are lots of streets, buildings, and institutions named “Pin Oak” in my city.

It seemed a weird sort of name until I learned that Pin Oak (Latin name: Quercus palustris) is a species of oak tree. It is also known as Swamp Spanish Oak.

Pin oaks are one of the most common landscape trees in Texas. They average 60 to 70 ft. in height, and 25 to 40 ft. in width.

Sometimes, they soar.

A giant pin oak in Northampton, MA, stands 112 feet tall with a diameter of 73 inches.

The acorns are a food source for songbirds, squirrels, white-tailed deer — and especially for ducks.

That likely explains the burgeoning duck population in our subdivision.

(The title is taken from the quote: “Green calm below, blue quietness above” — John Greenleaf Whittier.)