Beautiful Bark On A Plane Tree

I came upon this tree in the rain and was stunned by the beauty of it’s bark

This particular Plane tree is sporting a wonderful array of colours as various layers of bark flake off. One reason that Plane trees are so suited to urban planting is the fact that they shed bark platelets during the growing season. This renewal process allows parts polluted by city fumes to be discarded and replaced by fresh bark.

The Plane tree employs a similar technique with its leaves, which it sheds and replaces with new throughout the summer months. Leaves get clogged up by pollution and dust, and function less efficiently over time. By growing a constant supply of new leaves throughout the growing season, the tree can function at an optimum level, even in areas of heavy traffic pollution.