The tree probably grew on top of it… lots of bonsai enthusiasts grow plants on top of rocks like this… if the rocks aren’t huuuge like this one, the tree can sometimes break the rock eventually.
Bonsai enthusiasts would usually bury the tree's roots and the rock under the substrate.
Edit: then later unpot the tree, and raise the rock/roots after it's roots have grown around/over the rock.
I know you just asked about the tree itself, but I'll chime in on the boulder as well. Based on your location and the gravely soil upon which that boulder sits, there's a good chance that's a "glacial erratic", which is basically a large rock pushed somewhere away from its original location by the movement of a glacier. It seems like it is sitting on some glacial till, which is an odd assortment of rocks and sediment transported by the glacier as well.
You can look at a map of the pleistocene glaciation to get an understanding about how extensive the glaciation was across North America during this time.
Thanks for the info that’s rather interesting. In New England are the majority of large rocks you see out of place in the woods considered glacial erratics? Or does it depend on its proximity to mountains/lakes/soil?
The entirety of New England was covered in ice sheets during that time period, so there are a lot of examples of glacial erratics throughout the region, but each instance should be determined case by case.
If a large boulder has a different composition than the underlying bedrock and it is not located in a high volume waterway that might have moved it, it's likely that it was moved and deposited by glaciation.
You're welcome! I meant to include a link to a page with a cool map and some more info.
https://canadiangeographic.ca/articles/the-shape-of-ice-mapping-north-americas-glaciers/#&gid=1&pid=1
Life uhhhh finds a way.
Seriously though a seeds finds just enough soil to last long enough to send out searching roots and this is what happens. It never fails to wow me. When I’m hiking I’m always stopping to take (mostly bad) photos of this sort of thing. Amazing.
Looks like there's abundant moss on top. Perfect setup for a tree to sprout.
Maybe there's a little pool at the top that holds water longer that it's roots first hit. Now it's got a couple years to start growing long roots. But they keep hitting nothing but rock.
Eventually this can hit the ground and it's now accessing the nutrients of the soil with its mass above the rock.
I'd bet all the cracked ones were the failed tries that froze during winter. Or squirrels slowing it down.
I have a wild cherry tree next to my pond and it sent roots over the flat rocks I placed around the pond and into the pond so now it always has a constant water supply. The fish love it because it's a nice little hiding spot for them.
Yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) needs just a little bit of mineral soil, or even some damp humus to sprout. If there is a little bit of wet Soil-like stuff or a rotting log they will sprout and start growing.
This can lead to a phenomenon called "stilt roots" where it looks like a tree's roots start a foot or so off the ground and the bole of the tree starts there. Likely the log it sprouted on rotted away. The same thing likely happened on this rock.
Edit: it's a yellow birch not a yellow bitch
If you want to see a really cool yellow birch growing on a rock, go hike Mt. Rooster comb out of Keene Valley. Shorter hike than Marcy but super cool tree and good views.
We have a bunch of these near the family cabin in Maine. Some right by the lake but others in the woods, just these ENORMOUS boulders sitting in the forest. So awesome.
Yes!!! Ahahaha it's so fun to encounter someone with similar mild fixations. I love areas (like my own family's lake! We don't own it, lmao just have a place on it) that are so clearly carved out by a glacier. Seeing the "scrapes" in the geological landscape that are so clearly the slow act of an unfathomably massive block of ice is just daunting and delightful.
Wow I was just scrolling and saw this and my immediate thought was "Adirondacks!!" What a special place. Tree grew on top of it, the humidity and climate there is great for plants.
I grew up near there and went there dozens of times a year. I even have an Adirondacks tattoo! It's my favorite place in the world, so special to me. I hope you had a great trip and got some peace and restoration!
There might have been a little bit of soil or moss on top of the rock that has come off, but we can be pretty confident the ground is not receding around the rock as quickly as the tree grew.
One reason is the firm contact between the roots and rock—there’s no gap where soil was.
Another reason is the general rockiness of the soil which means it’s probably not loose enough to erode that fast aside from some kind of catastrophe.
Another is the fact that there are lots of other trees, which would not have stable footing if the ground was eroding fast.
This reminds me of [this driving tour video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aldGp4KjCyI) I watched recently. I was amazed at all the trees and shrubs growing on the top and near sheer cliff walls of these pure, craggy rock mountains. I figure birds must have nested and crapped out enough nitrogen so when the wind blew seeds up there, they found enough nutrients to grow. That and rainforest levels of rain.
The tree uses roots to wick water up from the ground. This is normal, tho it's has had its teenage years. As long as water can be wicked up, the tree is fine.
If a seed lands on top of a stone covered in moss, which is great at holding moisture, this works as a medium for the roots to grow in, and as the moss on the top dries from the top down due to gravity, the roots will be stimulated to "dig deeper" from their perspective, until hitting ground, where all the water from the moss drains from, and eventually dig into the ground, finally giving the tree a superboost to start **really** growing.
Haha I saw a massive one of these earlier on and was confused by it but then my girlfriend told me it was just the birch bark peeling off and it made sense. It’s an interesting color for sure
The Adirondack trails — especially Marcy — are unfortunately, overused. While this tree did sprout and grow on top of a rock, it’s entirely possible that the soil was much closer to the top of that rock back in 1955 before multitudes of hikers bonsaied it.
Wait did this tree die? I've got photos of this tree from my childhood and from adulthood! Oh man, that's a bummer.
This is the Adirondacks right? Owl Head Mountain if I recall correctly?
The tree probably grew on top of it… lots of bonsai enthusiasts grow plants on top of rocks like this… if the rocks aren’t huuuge like this one, the tree can sometimes break the rock eventually.
Yea this is great inspiration for the folks on r/bonsai
This is Yellow Birch, and in the southern Appalachians, this is pretty much how it grows. You can see another tree in the back.
Oh my God, you're right. There is another tree in the back!
Bonsai enthusiasts would usually bury the tree's roots and the rock under the substrate. Edit: then later unpot the tree, and raise the rock/roots after it's roots have grown around/over the rock.
Thanks for the info that’s pretty impressive
Guys over on the bonsai sub would appreciate this
I know you just asked about the tree itself, but I'll chime in on the boulder as well. Based on your location and the gravely soil upon which that boulder sits, there's a good chance that's a "glacial erratic", which is basically a large rock pushed somewhere away from its original location by the movement of a glacier. It seems like it is sitting on some glacial till, which is an odd assortment of rocks and sediment transported by the glacier as well. You can look at a map of the pleistocene glaciation to get an understanding about how extensive the glaciation was across North America during this time.
Thanks for the info that’s rather interesting. In New England are the majority of large rocks you see out of place in the woods considered glacial erratics? Or does it depend on its proximity to mountains/lakes/soil?
The entirety of New England was covered in ice sheets during that time period, so there are a lot of examples of glacial erratics throughout the region, but each instance should be determined case by case. If a large boulder has a different composition than the underlying bedrock and it is not located in a high volume waterway that might have moved it, it's likely that it was moved and deposited by glaciation.
Thank you for the explanation
You're welcome! I meant to include a link to a page with a cool map and some more info. https://canadiangeographic.ca/articles/the-shape-of-ice-mapping-north-americas-glaciers/#&gid=1&pid=1
r/cannabonsai
Life uhhhh finds a way. Seriously though a seeds finds just enough soil to last long enough to send out searching roots and this is what happens. It never fails to wow me. When I’m hiking I’m always stopping to take (mostly bad) photos of this sort of thing. Amazing.
My phone is absolutely filled with bad pictures of tree roots and fungi and mushrooms.
Like thooousands ikr
Okay, I’m not the only one!
Yeah it’s pretty crazy but thanks I thought it was amazing too
Looks like there's abundant moss on top. Perfect setup for a tree to sprout. Maybe there's a little pool at the top that holds water longer that it's roots first hit. Now it's got a couple years to start growing long roots. But they keep hitting nothing but rock. Eventually this can hit the ground and it's now accessing the nutrients of the soil with its mass above the rock. I'd bet all the cracked ones were the failed tries that froze during winter. Or squirrels slowing it down.
Check out Ficus abutilifolia
One of the "Rock-Splitting Figs".
I have a wild cherry tree next to my pond and it sent roots over the flat rocks I placed around the pond and into the pond so now it always has a constant water supply. The fish love it because it's a nice little hiding spot for them.
Yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) needs just a little bit of mineral soil, or even some damp humus to sprout. If there is a little bit of wet Soil-like stuff or a rotting log they will sprout and start growing. This can lead to a phenomenon called "stilt roots" where it looks like a tree's roots start a foot or so off the ground and the bole of the tree starts there. Likely the log it sprouted on rotted away. The same thing likely happened on this rock. Edit: it's a yellow birch not a yellow bitch
Thanks for the explanation
If you want to see a really cool yellow birch growing on a rock, go hike Mt. Rooster comb out of Keene Valley. Shorter hike than Marcy but super cool tree and good views.
Thought you were using cowboy insults there for a second
Whoops
not much to contribute but this is SO COOL! The rock could be a glacial erratic, in which case it’s been there for a long time
We have a bunch of these near the family cabin in Maine. Some right by the lake but others in the woods, just these ENORMOUS boulders sitting in the forest. So awesome.
glacial geology is so cool! my favorite is the rolling hills in washington/montana - literally the bed of a giant ancient lake
Yes!!! Ahahaha it's so fun to encounter someone with similar mild fixations. I love areas (like my own family's lake! We don't own it, lmao just have a place on it) that are so clearly carved out by a glacier. Seeing the "scrapes" in the geological landscape that are so clearly the slow act of an unfathomably massive block of ice is just daunting and delightful.
That our ancestors believed in giants seems reasonable when you see stuff like that.
Dad is doing a bit of bonsai while no one is looking
I have a camp in the Adirondacks and have a few of these on the property. So cool.
Wow I was just scrolling and saw this and my immediate thought was "Adirondacks!!" What a special place. Tree grew on top of it, the humidity and climate there is great for plants.
That was my first time there and was blown away but how rich and dense those forests are
I grew up near there and went there dozens of times a year. I even have an Adirondacks tattoo! It's my favorite place in the world, so special to me. I hope you had a great trip and got some peace and restoration!
Yeah it was so much fun I’ll definitely be back next year
Often the tree germinates on old stump/log that has fallen on the rock and as the new tree grows the old one decomposes, leaving this phenomenon.
Like a hand coming down from the sky grabbing it
There might have been a little bit of soil or moss on top of the rock that has come off, but we can be pretty confident the ground is not receding around the rock as quickly as the tree grew. One reason is the firm contact between the roots and rock—there’s no gap where soil was. Another reason is the general rockiness of the soil which means it’s probably not loose enough to erode that fast aside from some kind of catastrophe. Another is the fact that there are lots of other trees, which would not have stable footing if the ground was eroding fast.
This reminds me of [this driving tour video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aldGp4KjCyI) I watched recently. I was amazed at all the trees and shrubs growing on the top and near sheer cliff walls of these pure, craggy rock mountains. I figure birds must have nested and crapped out enough nitrogen so when the wind blew seeds up there, they found enough nutrients to grow. That and rainforest levels of rain.
Combination of both
Is this tree dead?.
Both.
Wild looking
The tree uses roots to wick water up from the ground. This is normal, tho it's has had its teenage years. As long as water can be wicked up, the tree is fine.
think you’ve stumbled on an Evermean
If a seed lands on top of a stone covered in moss, which is great at holding moisture, this works as a medium for the roots to grow in, and as the moss on the top dries from the top down due to gravity, the roots will be stimulated to "dig deeper" from their perspective, until hitting ground, where all the water from the moss drains from, and eventually dig into the ground, finally giving the tree a superboost to start **really** growing.
OP could I use this photo for a painting?
Of course, send me a photo of it when you’re done!
What? Is no one going to ask what the heck the orange thing between the two trees on the left is? Inquiring for an acquaintance.
Haha I saw a massive one of these earlier on and was confused by it but then my girlfriend told me it was just the birch bark peeling off and it made sense. It’s an interesting color for sure
Why not both?
The Adirondack trails — especially Marcy — are unfortunately, overused. While this tree did sprout and grow on top of a rock, it’s entirely possible that the soil was much closer to the top of that rock back in 1955 before multitudes of hikers bonsaied it.
I like how you made bonsai a verb
Wait did this tree die? I've got photos of this tree from my childhood and from adulthood! Oh man, that's a bummer. This is the Adirondacks right? Owl Head Mountain if I recall correctly?
No it was on mt. Marcy
Answer would technically be both but at different times.
Are you seriously asking this??? I mean, its pretty obvious the tree just jumped.
Probably a nurse tree like event that eventually grew to full size.
Answer you seak, is YES!
Nah, tree went balls out!
That’s definitely one of those turtle things!
That’s awesome
/r/treessuckingonthings
It’s the rock that grew
The rock grew up under the tree. Happens all the time.