This tree – I think it may be a yellow birch – knows what it’s doing.
It’s exfoliating.
A bit of reading (here, here and here) suggests that it’s not completely certain why the bark naturally peels from some trees. It may be a mechanism to protect from a build-up of parasites and other pests, or it may be that the dead outer bark must split and peel away to allow the tree to grow. Maybe both, or neither, depending on the species.
In all likelihood, it sheds for a practical reason, whether or not that reason is clear to us. This casting-off and renewal is necessary, ongoing, and messy, and is just as much a part of the tree’s being as is the shape of its leaves or the taste of its sap.
And the tree is beautiful, not despite this unkempt-looking evidence of its existence, but because of it.
Maybe it could teach us a thing or two.
P.S.
Close-ups of bark are naturals for Narami’s Tuesdays of Texture.
Do What You Wish 
Lovely detail in the shots.
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Thanks so much. It’s so hard to capture in a photograph what we experience with our senses while in the moment.
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I do love me some tree bark. Find it irresistible through a lens. And I mean, look at that! Your macros are gorgeous! I love how nature does everything just perfect. Me? I have to mix sugar with my cleanser at least once every two days.
Thanks so much for sharing these in Tuesdays of Texture, and have a great rest of the week!
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Thank you so much. Yes, nature sure knows what she’s doing. Thanks for hosting and I hope your week goes well, too!
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