The Broccoli Tree

Via BoingBoing came this video on the Broccoli Tree by the vlogbrothers

You can visit the instagram stream at thebroccolitree.

October 7, 2015. A bit windy, but awesome back lit clouds behind the tree tonight… 👌✨🌌 @thebroccolitreeart #huskvarna #sweden

A post shared by A tree on Instagram (@thebroccolitree) on Oct 6, 2015 at 3:58pm PDT

As art, it’s fascinating as it shows how many ways the same tree and framing can produce so many different views. The video, sadly, brings up what happens you share something like this.

Ever since the tree got viral a couple of years ago the number one joke has been ”what if someone cuts it down..?” Or ”What´s next, maybe you should cut it down and take photos haha.” I´ve never had good answer to that question, or joke. It´s not like we´re planted together, we live different lives the tree and I. This question was so common so I guess it was just a matter of time before some guys mentally retarded enough would crawl up from under a stone and make it happen as a part of a bet or something. Clearly it´s a obsession in lots of minds out there for some inscrutable reason. One of the trees branches has now (a couple of days ago..?) been sawn in almost all the way through and it´s just a matter of time before it´ll fall off. I won´t be around to document it, others will for sure so I guess you lunatics who did it can enjoy every moment. You can win a bet. Get cheered at. Even get a bit infamous. Congrats. What an accomplishment. I guess you were excited like little children while you did it, must have taken quite a while. For sure you are excited now, aspecially when the word is out. Now is your moment. High fives, maybe some back slapping. Suck it in. Time will erode those memories, excitement will turn into second thoughts. But the saddest thing of all, however You absolutely cannot un-saw a tree. —– I leave the judgement to others and have to move on to work, you can talk to each other about this below of course, but I feel for now this is what I have to say in this matter. Cheer up, there will be a tomorrow after this. // Patrik

A post shared by A tree on Instagram (@thebroccolitree) on Sep 26, 2017 at 11:59pm PDT

It’s disheartening, as one project I had in my mind was to go and track down some of the most endangered plants in the UK. In the case of mosses, a macro lens and a description like Cornwall would obscure location. However, some of the trees on the list are in surprisingly urban locations. It’s a lot more difficult to photograph a tree without including some background context revealing its location. Drawing attention to trees like this would be an effective way of removing them by proxy.

The fact we know that vandalism would happen reveals something about the power of plants. Imagine being so threatened by the idea of someone photographing a tree that you have to cut it down.

As for Patrik Edberg, he’s still photographing what catches his eyes, including trees.