When I first moved to South Florida I fell in love with the trees here. The different varieties of palm trees are hard to keep up with. The Royal Poinciana is another favorite. But the Banyan tree captivates me.
Banyan trees can be found throughout South Florida. They are quite impressive. If you take a drive on Old Cutler Road starting in Palmetto Bay and heading north to Coral Gables, you'll see many of them. Their canopies can extend clear across the street. But it's their trunks that mesmerize. There's something primitive about them. They always make me look and wonder. I'm not quite sure what I wonder about when I look, but time seems to stand still when I'm around the Banyan.
I researched the Banyan shortly after arriving here and was surprised with what I found. The Banyan tree is a fig that usually starts it's life on another tree. Birds will drop the seed in a crevice of the trunk of another tree and the seed will germinate. It then sends roots down to the ground. Eventually, the Banyan ends up engulfing the tree that gave it life. For this reason the Banyan is also known as a Strangler Fig.
In Robinson Crusoe, the main character made his home in a Banyan tree. The first Banyan tree planted in South Florida was in Ft. Myers. It was a gift to Thomas Edison from Harvey Firestone. Mr. Firestone was introduced to the Banyan in 1925 on a trip to India, one of the native countries of the Banyan tree. The tree he gave Mr. Edison was originally 4 feet tall and now covers 400 feet. Incredible.
Even knowing that a Banyan tree strangles it's host tree I can't help but admire it's beauty. Despicable natural instinct or tenacity? Maybe that's what I think about when they capture my attention. How they share certain qualities with people.
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Maggie Dokic, SFR is a licensed real estate broker in the state of Florida selling residential real estate in Miami, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, Coral Gables, Gables by the Sea, High Pines, the Redland and other select areas of SW Miami-Dade County.
Maggie has earned her SFR certification to be able to better serve the needs of her customers in today's non-traditional real estate market. SFR is a Short Sale, Foreclosure Resource Specialist. Designees have been trained to understand the highly specialized options available to Sellers facing short sales & foreclosures and Buyers looking to buy them.
For more information on our local real estate market, or to see or sell a home in Miami, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, Coral Gables or the Redland, visit my Miami Real Estate blog or contact me at Maggie (at) TheBlogThatAteMiami (dot) com.
The opinions expressed herein, are those of the author, and not necessarily of Keller Williams Realty.
None of this information is to be deemed legal or financial advice. Please contact your attorney or accountant for same.
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Maggie,
I love those tress as well. They are so cool looking! BTW I like the new profile pic and I love your outside blog!!!