Joanne Mason Photography

This is a Dawn Redwood. There are three species of trees known as redwoods: The coast redwoods, which grow only along the California coast and are generally the tallest trees in the world; the giant sequoias, which grow in the California mountans and are the largest trees; and the dawn redwood. The coast redwoods and the giant sequoias grow for thousands of years.

The dawn redwoods are smaller (though still taller than most trees) and grow faster. They are native to China, where they were thought to be extinct until rediscovered in 1944. They are now found in many countries around the world. This tree was photographed at the Bartlett Arboretum in Stamford CT.

Naturally, as evident in this image, I am most intrigued by the bark of the tree. Though coniferous, the dawn redwoods are deciduous. The foliage here is spring growth