There’s something more to this photo that you can’t really tell by just looking at it–a story that explains the reason I took it, and why it means a bit more to me than what you might expect.
We have been visiting our local botanic gardens for years, probably as far back as when we first moved to town in 2009. It’s a great place to relax, unwind, walk among nature, find some geocaches, and of course, take photos. This might sound like a bit of a cliché but it’s true: no matter whether you’re a kid, an adult, a college student, or even a pet, there’s always something fun to see or do at the botanic garden. They have several artificial features too such as benches, sidewalks, a giant chess board, a pond, some fountains, and even an O-Gauge model train set with a sign that says “Platform 9 ¾”.
One of the more popular installations over the years is that of a swing hanging from a tree branch. It’s perfect for kids, or even teens and some adults, to pass the time while out walking around. For years the swing was attached to the tree by two thick loops of woven nylon, much like what you would find on a seat belt, which, while functional, had the unfortunate side effect of rubbing the bark off the tree branch. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people (including my own two children) enjoyed that swing though over time the toll it took on the tree really became noticeable. About five years ago I approached the director of the botanic garden to ask if I could make a bit of a change to how the swing was mounted to make it a better experience for those who used it and also the tree. She agreed, and a week later I showed up at the garden with my drill, a half-inch auger-style bit, and two gigantic eye bolts.
As a local arborist explained to me when we were putting some swings on the tree in our own back yard a decade ago, it’s better to drill through a tree branch and insert a straight rod or eye bolt rather than put a loop of rope, chain, or nylon around a tree branch. The former will allow the tree to heal itself over time and eventually create an even stronger mount for the swing as it grows around the hardware. The latter will essentially do the opposite, and choke the branch by restricting the flow of sap as it grows over time. It didn’t take long for me to get the nylon straps removed, the eye bolts installed, and the swing re-hung and ready to go for years to come.
And that’s exactly how things went: every time we visited the botanic garden after I re-did the swing mount we saw it being used like before, but the tree branch healing itself where so much of its bark had been stripped away. However, when I stopped by the swing on my recent rainy day photography excursion at the botanic garden I was a little surprised to see that it was gone. It had been removed, possibly because it had simply worn out from use, or perhaps to limit liability after someone had fallen off. The eye bolts were still poking through the tree branch, but instead of a normal-sized swing for adults and kids there was only this small fairy alighting on a leaf, which itself was hanging from one of the metal circles above.
I was surprised, of course, but not really sad about it. That’s how things go–change, as they say, is the only constant in this world. While I’m going to miss seeing the swing hanging from the tree when we go to the garden from now on, I do like that the hardware I installed is being put to good use. Who knows, maybe this fairy will be joined by another one on the other eye bolt. Or perhaps something else will come along and take her place. Who knows. In the end I’m just glad I had the opportunity to help out the botanic garden patrons for a little while, and now, take a picture of this fairy enjoying her perch from up above.
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