Eiffel Tower of Farm Dover

Scientists at Cornell University have determined that the Eiffel Tower is one of the five most photographed landmarks in the world. That doesn't surprise me. On my computer alone, I have more than 20 photos that feature the iron lattice tower, the cultural icon of France.

There is just something about the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair that makes millions of visitors want to snap a photo, as if to prove that they have visited one of the most visited places in the world.

I think of the hackberry tree at the bend in our drive as the Eiffel Tower of Farm Dover. Seems like I can't stop snapping photos of it. Ed and I have cleared the scrub trees and weeds from its base, so it stands taller and mightier than any other tree in the line along the drive.

As I scanned the hundreds of photos that I have taken of the farm, it shows up time and time again. In all seasons; at all times of the day.

The details capture my imagination as much as the whole tree.

Hackberry trees aren't valued for much on the market. But it is valued by birds and bees (and me). It is one of the best food and shelter plants for wildlife. Its berries remain on its branches throughout the winter months. Quail, pheasants, woodpeckers, and cedar waxwings feed on its fruit. Bees like it to; pollinating it in the spring.

I'm not sure why I'm so attracted to this tree. I think it is partly because it reminds me of a tree that was illustrated in a book that I loved as a child: A Friend is Someone Who Likes You, by Joan Walsh Anglund. The tiny book was given to me by my Uncle Bud – and I treasured all his gifts. I couldn't find my copy today; I think Mary took it off to college – as she likes it as much as I do.

I can't remember the exact text, but it went something like:

A friend is someone who likes you. 

It can be a boy...

It can be a girl...

or a cat...or a dog...

or even a white mouse. 

...A tree can be a different kind of friend.
It doesn't talk to you, but you know it likes you,
because it gives you apples, or pears, or cherries,
or sometimes a place to swing. 

photo by Jeanne1974 from flickr®

So I think of this tree as my friend. This weekend, we placed a rough hewn table at its base. I can imagine stringing little white lights on the trees lowest limbs and hosting a spring picnic under this tree – under the arms of my friend, the hackberry tree.