A natural work of art

“Do you know who made that work of art?” asked the man who came down the path at McKinney Falls State Park when I was about to take pictures of this tree on the morning of March 1.

“Nature,” I said without hesitating, and he agreed. More specifically, my understanding is that these paths were carved out by beetles burrowing beneath the bark of the tree at a time when the tree still had its bark. What’s left could easily pass for a work of art, and it’s more appealing than many I’ve seen. But I won’t editorialize. But I just did.

© 2013 Steven Schwartzman