A Lone Tree
This single Pinon tree has established itself at the top of this cliff. You can tell from the absence of other trees and the sparse grasses around it this is a harsh and dessicated place to grow. I didn’t climb the cliff to check, but from clues in the picture the tree must be growing in a spot which channels water from the nearby “soil” to where the tree is growing.
Given the limited water available to it, I doubt it will ever grow very tall. If it does, lightening from one of the violent summer thunder storms which are common in this area (Northern New Mexico, near Abiqui) will shorten it’s life.
