Natural History Wanderings

The New York Times reported that last Monday  the 3500 year old cypress tree, named the Senator,had burned and fallen in Florida. Although it has survived hurricanes, loggers and disease, the Senator has fallen. The Department of Forestry does not know the cause of the fire. Possibilities include arson, a smoldering lightning strike, and combustion cause by friction from the wind. The Senator was one of the oldest trees in the country and at 118 feet is one of the tallest trees east of the Mississippi . Read more in the New York Times Disbelief Still as Florida Reacts to Burning of 3,500-Year-Old Tree – NYTimes.com.