When is an evergreen not ever green? When it's a Golden Larch, a sort of deciduous conifer, akin to our native Tamarack.








Unlike its exfoliating relatives, the Sweet Birch has smooth, dark bark, by reason of which it is also know as Cherry or Black Birch.
These lovely, if aberrant, trees have not been shown here before, and perhaps that's not in the proper spirit of Lent, which would reconsider what has been, rather than look for something new. The new must wait for Spring, still weeks away. If there is a proper tree for Lent, maybe it's the one that is actually more beautiful when Winter strips it bare…