Gnarly

It's said of the majestic oak, that they take 300 years growing, 300 years being, and 300 years declining. In that last trimester some appear to have shrunken like shrinky dinks, developing intricate patterns and textures which draw the eye. 

Gnarly Oak

I love the forest's gnarly Oaks, standing proudly in defiance throughout their final trimester. I say trimester, as an oaks life is divided into three portions, growing, living, decaying, each can be up to three hundred years in duration. Like natural sculptures, fashioned by time, the elements and the myriad insects and creatures who shape the forest, they are as much works of art as anything found in an art gallery.