I love to look at what the bark of trees, especially mature trees, gets up to. The textures are fascinating, and never more so than in the burles, galls, and other “infections” that tree-kind is heir to. Somehow I suppress the knowledge that I am looking at disease, and I just enjoy the feast of form and texture. Here the single leaf, growing from the section of affected bark, adds the element of contrast that completes the composition, and the fact that the bark is wet from a recent shower deepens the texture.

Taken on the grounds of Lakeside Chautauqua in OH.

Samsung Smart Camera WB800F in macro mode.  28mm equivalent field of view. f2.8 @ 1/20th @ ISO 400. Program. Processed in Snapseed on the Nexus 7.