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I don’t actually have anything about a vacation here, I’m just a sucker for a silly play on words. Yeah, I’m one of those guys who actually appreciates the punny newspaper headlines.

With the Coronavirus, I am at home. No vacation for me. I am still working five days a week from home and in my planned beach vacation (beach with an A) is all but officially cancelled due to a stay at home order. In the mean time, I am playing with beech (no A), American beech, Fagus grandifolia.

I’ve shared this first beech with you before. Check it out here if you want to read more. And there’s more where that came from.

This particular time in spring, at least here in Northern Virginia, is a special moment where beech are concerned. A few of the most vigorous beech buds are starting to look greener than they did over the winter and are starting to swell and extend. Those buds will begin to open any day now, and that means it’s a good time to dig.

Some of my first beech collections were tiny little things. The awkward twisted fella above, and the little guy below have been in pots for several years. After getting a vibe on their recovery and growth habits, I had the nerve collect larger specimens like the wide spreading broom at top.

The twin trunk, shown next, is a nice little tree that I think has a lot of potential after I have some time to develop the ramification.

I recently had someone try to convince me the front below was better than the one shown above. He argued that the visible split in the lower trunk was a desirable feature, but photographing the tree helped solidify that the front above is better in my opinion. I mean, look at the way the trunks are dancing with one another!

I have a few more excellent candidates growing out there in the ground. Most recently I collected this one with a nice leaning quality. The upright trunk in the back will likely be removed in the future.

…and this one that includes a couple of upright trunks that are starting to fuse together. It could be something very cool at some point down the road.

I wonder if I have the courage to dig this big guy! I know the bright sunlight makes it hard to see, but check out that wide spreading base! I’ll watch it and take my time deciding. No need to rush.