Description
I caught a glimpse of this Grey Mangrove, when the light was gentle in the morning, out boating along the Sandon River in Northern NSW. Its beauty, elegance and grace struck me. It is found within the ‘Solitary Islands Marine Park Sanctuary Zone’, where the river waters still look pristine.
This artwork is part of my Sanctuary Tree Project, a sort of tree portrait of my ongoing investigation into the few, grand, and aged, native trees that remain along the Clarence River waterways. These old trees are often close to 200 years old. Their knarly beauty attracts my eye, in a world where youth and notions of body perfection reigns. These trees provide many invaluable benefits. They are habitat, and they stabilise riverbanks. Their roots filter run-off and reduce riverbank erosion; they provide shade and food for aquatic organisms and cool the water for us to swim. To top it off, they provide us with breathable air.
This tree is protected as habitat and what a joy and wonder to behold!
