#1827 "My Three Trees"

#1827 "My Three Trees"
12x10 oils on rough panel

It has been a while since I painted, and I need to return to it. The trees on the outside edges are maples while the centre tree is butternut. It was a beautiful November day more like early autumn than early winter. The sun was quite warm on my back and I needed to get the brushes going again. 

This butternut tree was doomed due to an invasive fungus from Asia. I find it easy to identify butternut trees since everyone I have seen in the last decade has been infected. The butternut canker is a fungus that infects and kills healthy butternut trees of any size or age. The effects of butternut canker were first noticed in the late 1960s. The fungus usually kills trees quickly. Diseased areas called "cankers" develop under the bark and eventually surround the branches and main stem. The cankers restrict the flow of water and nutrients and "strangle" the tree. Fungal spores can be spread by splashing raindrops, by insects and birds, and by infected seeds, making the fungus hard if not impossible to control. Butternut canker kills most trees it infects. However, some trees have few symptoms and live much longer than most. Researchers believe these trees may be genetically resistant to butternut canker, or some environments may increase a tree's tolerance to the disease. These standing trees need to be retained to support the recovery of the species. They provide researchers with valuable genetic information about butternut, as well as seeds for planting and twigs for grafting. 

I have planted several of the disease-resistant butternuts and one tree, in particular, is showing promise. I planted that tree in 2008 and it is still doing well. 

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Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick