Beech with root bridge

[Fungus]

My favourite beech couple in a forest in the vicinity of the Dutch town I live, is this pair of beeches, which are connected by an enormous root bridge.

The bifurcated beech to the right in the first photo still is in rather good condition, partially because it is linked to the remaining and still functioning root system of the left tree by a root bridge. The left beech was bifurcated too, but split in half up to ground level, because of a poor connection of both trunks at the base of the fork and on top of that, afterwards the crown of the remaining treehalf broke and fell to the ground too.

Question : what do you see in the "head" of the root bridge in the photo's 2 and 3 ?

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Edited May 21, 2011 by Fungus

[treesnatcher]

nice pics

[Stephen Blair]

a huge imbilical cord!

[tommer9]

wow.

 

 

I see a hippo BTW.

Is that what you meant?

[armybloke]

Is that one of the Smurfs looking at you lying on his back??

[Stephen Blair]

wow.

 

 

I see a hippo BTW.

Is that what you meant?

 

I just want to cut that bit off with my 46

 

only kidding, what will it actually be doing?

[Fungus]

what will it actually be doing?

 

Stephen,

It used to be an intermediary for transporting water and nutrients from both trees to one another, now it only functions as a link or tap for the still standing beech to the intact root system of the fallen tree.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

a dragon!

 

oh the dryads will be pleased!

[David Humphries]

remarkable !

 

 

I see the Dragons neck & head too,

transfering/blowing the remnants of the relic trees energy into it's neighbour

 

 

 

 

.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

remarkable !

 

 

I see the Dragons neck & head too,

transfering/blowing the remnants of the relic trees energy into it's neighbour

 

 

 

 

.

 

these other guys have no imagination!

 

coolest tree face ive seen to date!