BAOBAB TREES

COMING BACK FROM SOUTH AFRICA WHEN WE WENT TO THE TEMPLE WITH THE MARONDERA BRANCH WE WENT THROUGH AN AREA IN ZIMBABWE THAT WAS LOADED WITH THE MOST MAGNIFICANT TREES IN THE WORLD, AND SOME OF THE OLDEST TREES IN THE WORLD.  PICTURES ARE GREAT AND THESE ARE VERY IMPRESSIVE, BUT YOU CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MAGNIFICIENT THEY ARE UNTIL YOU SEE THEM IN PERSON. 

ENJOY!!!!

HERE ARE A COUPLE STORIES ABOUT THE TREES.

The baobab was among the first trees to appear on the land.

Next came the slender, graceful palm tree,

it cried out that it wanted to be taller.

Then the beautiful flame tree appeared with it's red....

flower and the baobab was envious for flower blossoms.

When the baobab saw the magnificent fig tree...

it prayed for fruit as well.

The Gods became angry with the tree and pulled......

it up by its roots, then replanted it.............

upside down to keep it quiet.

Hence, this is why this tree appears to be planted upside down.

THE LEGEND OF THE AFRICAN BAOBAB TREE is the story of a beautiful tree who complained to the Great Spirit of the Wild Plains...

about wanting to be the BEST and BRIGHTEST and the MOST HANDSOME of all the African Trees.



The GREAT SPIRIT became tired of the complaints and reached down from the sky, yanked the tree out of the ground.............

and placed it back into the earth UP SIDE DOWN!!!

All the animals were alarmed and so was the huge tree.

For after that, the magnificint tree only grew leaves once a year.

  The other months, the ROOTS seem to bend and grow

towards the sky.

The Baobab Tree is a symbol of the strength of Africa.

The trunks are hollow and as you can see in ancient times people actually

made their home inside the trunks.  This particular tree that we stopped at had a fire built inside of it.

The Baobab tree is unusual in that it is 90% water and swells up after the rain.

None of these trees look alike and they are all unusual in their appearance.  We love looking at these trees either close up or at a distance.  Kind of reminds us of Halloween.  Get the picture.