I Love Ents

Some Have Birds As Makeup Artists – Photo: L. Weikel

I love Ents. They were one of my favorite parts of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I can remember how I felt when I first read about them. It felt so natural to imagine discovering the wonder of suddenly finding myself amidst massive trees revealing their slow moving, but deliberately sentient, selves. It was thrilling and magical.

And I thought the depiction of them in the movies was pretty great. It’s not always a given that something that lives so vividly in one’s mind when reading a book gets translated onto the screen accurately.

So I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I am prone to Seeing the personalities of certain trees reveal themselves – trees that are, perhaps, a bit more self-aware (or at least self-revelatory) than their brothers and sisters.

No Two Alike

They come in all shapes, sizes, and personalities, of course. Because no self-respecting Ent would be a clone of another. Dare I say, there are precious few creatures on Mother Earth that are not absolutely and utterly unique unto themselves – even if they do bear a huge resemblance to their siblings. (Anyone who has searched high and low for the perfect Christmas tree knows what I’m talking about. They’ve all got their own quirks and precious beauty.)

I’ve noticed a most striking creature revealing its true nature lately. Now that it is leafing out, its outstretched arms are alight with bursts of leaves making it look as if it’s holding pom-poms, its ‘head’ a wild, tangled mess not unlike the mop top I’m currently sporting.

This gorgeous Ent begged to have its photo taken today, so I obliged.

Booga Booga! Shaking Its Leaves At Me – Photo: L. Weikel

Some Are More Subtle Than Others

Which made me hunt for a few others I’ve photographed in the past. I include them here for comparison’s sake. Not as in, “Who is the most beautiful Ent in the neighborhood” type of comparison. Rather, “Let us revel in the diversity of expression the local Standing Tall People display to us on a daily basis.”

I’m actually sure I’ve taken other photos of Tree Beings I’ve glimpsed in our walks. Perhaps I will try to track more of them down.

But for now, I invite you to witness a few of our ‘neighbors.’ Surely you have some in your environs as well.