A distant and lesser-known cousin
of the genus Arbor calceorum (shoe
tree) is this Arbor caligarum (boot
tree) located about ten miles east of Gillam,
Manitoba in Canada. The Boots Creek Sign is
routinely pruned and cleaned up by the Manitoba
Highway Department, making it unlike most other
such "trees" found throughout North
America. The MHD has found that, left to its
own growth patterns, the Boots Creek Sign would,
like kudzu, soon take over the roadway.
The construction workers who
frequent the nearby hydro-electric plants are
reportedly the leading source of contributions
to this tree. The brave correspondent who risked
getting stomped while taking this evidentiary
photo reports that the new additions pictured
here represent the largest growth spurt since
the 1970s.
|