Colorado Bonsai – Quercus gambelii Yamadori – Death Trap – Colorado Rocky Mountain Bonsai

I have been posting some trees that I found when I was hunting for moss. Here is a Quercus gambelii oak tree growing in a crack in an extremely large granite boulder. I first spotted this tree from the top of the boulder. It was growing in a very wide 5 feet wide section of the boulder with a downward slope to it. Looked easy to collect or so I thought. I left it alone, really to small to collect. I kept looking for moss and found my way down from the boulder and around to the bottom of the huge boulder. I kept walking and taking photos of the boulder its self. I finally found that little oak at the end of the wide section. The were pine needles, leaves and sticks all around it. I then noticed the width of the crack it was big enough to get your foot/leg caught in the crack if you were not paying attention. It looks like these pine needles, leaves and sticks kind of covered up the crack around the bottom of the tree. I can imagine that if you stood on this false forest floor you would go right through and get stuck in the crack with nothing to pull yourself out with. It was an impressive crack and not a bad spot to die in. My friend RMBS member Jerry Morris said if he dies in the mountains of Colorado just leave him right there!