
Ghost ranches, buried old cars, coyote packs, a former free range Ankole Watusi bull, The Holler is definitely an odd place, which is why we fit in so well!

Take this thorny tree for example. It is a Silk Floss tree and is about 50 feet tall.

This time of year it is covered in plate sized cotton poofs.

The poofs develop from large seed pods.

In the fall, the tree drops its leaves and devotes all its energy to producing masses of beautiful blooms.

The Holler abuts a large nature preserve and is built on very old orchards. Back in the day, orchard workers lived on site and indulged in their love of exotic plants and trees, many of which are still thriving and producing today.

I often wish I could tell them how much we appreciate living with the beautiful results of their talent and effort.
Cheers to you from the very odd Holler~
Simply extraordinary! Thanks for showing, Cindy.
Take care,
Pit
LikeLike
Fabulous post, Cindy! That tree is fantastic!
Not the Art Gown I’m working on now, but the one after is inspired by the cottonwood tree. Seems to be a similarity.
LikeLike
I can’t wait to see both!! დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
დდდ
LikeLike
Wow I’ve never seen a tree like this, great photos too Cindy xx
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Charlotte. I think William said it best, ‘There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy’ Stay safe & well my friend დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your captures are hauntingly beautiful, there is definitely treasures in the Holler…thank you for sharing them!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you more for such a kind and thoughtful comment and cheers to you! დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Really neat. Thanks for teaching me something new.
LikeLike
Thank you much more for appreciating the opportunity Lori & cheers to you დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve never seen anything like those white poufy things, Cindy — thanks for educating me today!
LikeLike
Somebody called it a Plate Sized Poof Tree! I think this should definitely become its official name! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
The lone bull? He has enoughgrass to eat, guess so it’s been there a long time. Love seeing the silf floss, it look like cotton which we get plenty of in Texas.
LikeLike
Oh yes, there is enough grass here to feed the herd and the cotton poof tree does look just like cotton! Happy to hear Texas is warming up and hope you are doing well დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cool plate-sized poof tree.
LikeLike
Laughing…..I like your name!!! დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love that Silk Floss tree
LikeLike
So glad you do. It is an awesome presence დ
LikeLike
You live in a magic kingdom, Cindy. I’ve never seen a tree like that, but I hope to one day. Your photos are stunning.
LikeLike
Awww, I love my kind blogging friends like you!! Thank you and be safe დდ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amazing – reminds me of cotton fields in the South – only very high in the air!! Thanks, Cindy, as always, for the wonderful images and stories.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Somebody called it, “High Cotton,” which I think is a very apt name დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love that.
LikeLike
დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Cuz
What oddball stuff you have there in the Holler !!! xo
LikeLike
We fit in like a glove!!! 😉 Stay safe and well cuz დ
LikeLike
‘High cotton!’
LikeLike
That would be a good, concise name for the tree! დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Was für eine seltsame Frucht, die so wundervolle Blüten macht und dann diese riesigen Baumwolle Knäuel macht! Liebe Freundin Cindy, vielen herzlichen Dank für den schönen Bericht.
Ernst
LikeLike
Ja, es ist ein sehr seltsamer Baum. Es gilt als einer der schönsten Bäume der Welt, wenn es blüht. Es ist mit großen schönen Blüten bedeckt! Ich hoffe du bleibst sicher und gut mein Freund. დ
LikeLike
Ahh..I didn’t know cotton candy floss grew on trees. ٩(๑∂▿∂๑)۶♡
LikeLike
You have to climb 60 feet over all those thorns to get it though!!! 😉 დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my…😱😱🤗🌈❤️
LikeLike
დდ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Who knew there were such beauties in The Holler!
LikeLike
The Holler is full of all sorts of surprises! დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLike
Anch’io come altri commentatori ho pensato al cotone, solo che quest’ultimo si sviluppa basso,
Gan belle immagini, complimenti.
LikeLike
No Gan ma Gran 😉
LikeLike
😉
LikeLike
Grazie mille. Il cotone cresce a 60 piedi da terra! დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
What an amazing tree! I have never heard of it, and it’s hard to believe those cotton poofs really grow on it. I looked up the Ankole Watusi bull, and I thought I had seen big Long Horns when we lived in Texas, but nothing like those bulls. How in the world do they hold their heads up? You do indeed have some oddities in the Holler!
LikeLike
We are well oddities in a very odd place!! 😉 😉 დ
LikeLike
Wow, those are amazing! The puffs look hand-crafted. Are they soft like cotton?
LikeLike
They are cotton like, but sort of wispy and they have seeds დ
LikeLike
Wow! Those fluffy balls are amazing. I’ve photographed this tree in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, but I’ve never walked past it when it has the seed pods or balls of fluff on it. I seem to remember the tree was about 20-25 foot high and when in bloom, a sight to behold.
It had (literally) hundreds of flowers.
LikeLike
Yes, they bloom in the fall here and are often considered one of the world’s most beautiful trees, for good reason! დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful 💕Thank you Cindy 😎
LikeLike
You are most welcome Val & cheers my friend დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wild parrots love those things.
LikeLike
I would love to see this!!! დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for this great post 🙂
I will be on the lookout for this Silk Floss tree for eternity! Beautiful
LikeLike
You are most welcome! Let me know when you two finally meet დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have never seen anything like those cotton balls and I watch a Holler mountain man in the TV show, Mountain Men.
LikeLike
Pleased to have been able to make the introduction & cheers to you Jacqui დ
LikeLike
Do birds use the cotton wool for their nests?
LikeLike
I don’t know. But it is such an original and logical question, that I would guess they do! დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow that tree is so kewl! Looks like giant cotton balls
LikeLike
Yes, and they are growing out of human reach! დ
LikeLike
Wow amazing pictures, so beautiful, great capture Cindy! 🙂
LikeLike
Happy you enjoyed & thank you! დ
LikeLike
Love those trees – so cool anytime of year! I saw the first one at Disney’s Epcot. Neat.
LikeLike
How wonderful! I have never been there დ
LikeLike
What a wonderful tree! Must be really neat to live by protected land!
LikeLike
It is very wild, no people, just wild life, mostly coyote packs and rattlesnakes!!! დ
Unapprove | Reply | Quick Edit | Edit | History | Spam | Trash
LikeLike
Oh my! We have coyotes around here, and they don’t bother me much. (But we keep cats indoors.) However, about those snakes…. 😉
Julie
LikeLike
Snakes want to avoid you, so the trick is to not step on them! დ
LikeLike
What a cool tree! I’ve never seen this before.
LikeLike
It is a definite Dr. Seuss tree!! 😉
LikeLike
Yes!
LikeLike
დ
LikeLike
I’ve never seen a pouf/poof like this. I would love the Holler, because after all, we’re all part of a Holler, every odd and original part of us. xo
LikeLike
We are indeed, just like this pouf that goes poof in the breeze!! Thank you and cheers to you დ
LikeLike
Beautiful pictures. Treat to eyes and nice capture.
LikeLike
Honored by your kindness. Thank you Sowjanya & be well დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Definitely extraordinary! I am always getting surprised by your postings. 😉 Thank you, Cindy!
LikeLike
So kind of you and so appreciated. Thank you! You make me happy I posted დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
You did before, Cindy! Its always a great pleasure! Michael
LikeLike
დდ
LikeLike
Wow. So gorgeous. Thanks for sharing. It reminds me of the pine cones on Mt Diablo, big as my head. The only place in the country with such outsized pine cones. Rare and beautiful things are everywhere.
LikeLike
Rare and beautiful things are everywhere, just waiting for someone to find them! Be well my friend დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
And you, too. I imagine the Holler is at its best in the spring.
LikeLike
Yes. It is just starting, and for the first time, I am home, from start to finish. Love to you Brenda დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Some blessings from the quarantine. 🙂
LikeLike
We went out to dinner tonight. First time in over a year! There were women chatting in the bathroom who weren’t wearing masks and wouldn’t leave. Oh well…… baby steps. დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am sad that they were not taking care of themselves and you. We still need to be taking care of each other. I haven’t eaten out in SO LONG! I have tried new recipes, though. Almost the same thing, but not quite. 🙂
LikeLike
Yes. Cooking creatively daily for a year has actually been a lot of fun.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so grateful that the food distribution network didn’t fail us.
LikeLike
True. It was quite dicey for the first few months.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just love seeing your Holler and all it’s amazing species.
LikeLike
Awwww, you are so kind and most appreciated! დდ
LikeLike
So beautiful!!!!
LikeLike
Awww, much appreciated & thanks so much! დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
The silk floss looks so amazing!!
LikeLike
Everything about it is interesting, including it’s trunk which is green and carries out photosynthesis for the tree when the leaves have fallen. დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amazing. You know the details.
LikeLike
You are very welcome დ
LikeLike
This looks like “kapok”. Lemme see the English name. Yeah. kapok. In Africa we also called it “fromager”. In South America it’s “ceiba”. Do you get those all the way “up north”? (of here?)
LikeLike
It is a Kapok. Native to Brazil and Argentina. They are not native here, but thrive beautifully დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve seen huge ones in Africa. And on the Amazon. Giants of trees. Second probably only to the sequoias… Glad they thrive in your neck of the woods.
LikeLike
I am too. I love them დ
LikeLiked by 1 person
What an amazing place!
LikeLike
Thank you Vinny. It is definitely different! დ
LikeLike
sommerliche Grüße kommen von mir zu dir, Klaus
LikeLike
Sommergrüße mein Freund und danke, dass Sie so nachdenklich und rücksichtsvoll sind. Bleib sicher und gesund დდ
LikeLike