Saturday, July 18, 2009

Fossilized tree

These steps are a feature of my garden. They are not ordinary stone steps, but are made of a fossilized tree which I found 15 years ago in the neighbourhood. I did not know what it was then, but I liked the unusual texture of the stone and hauled them to my garden with the help of some village boys. We could not move the big pieces as they were too heavy. Those huge pieces were destroyed by the construction workers later, when the roads were being laid in this suburb.
It was only much later that a geologist friend who came to my house recognized the pieces of stone as parts of a petrified tree.

4 comments:

  1. Interesting! Is the petrified tree prone to attack by termites?

    ReplyDelete
  2. How interesting, I am game to recycle interesting stuff I see that is going to the dump. Many times I see men trimming and cutting down local mahogany trees. I stop and ask for some cut logs. I will open my car (I drive a station wagon) and pile them in. If they are too heavy, I will get my helper and return. I use the wood around some of my garden beds. I see petrified trees along the beach and would love to get a piece for the garden. I tried but couldn't budge it...it was like lead. I tried cutting with a chainsaw but it was too hard it started smoking and made my blade dull. So now I pass them and wish one day I will get it into my yard LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  3. No, Shailaja,termites don't attack the ptrified tree.
    Islandgal, they are too heavy, aren't they?

    ReplyDelete