I live in the south where live oaks are part of my hometown landscape. They've long been a symbol of strength and resilience for the hard, dense wood and for their ability to withstand hurricanes, freezing temperatures, heat, humidity, and the wet and dry seasons. Even invasive insects that are devastating some southern forests have not threatened these great trees.

As they grow old and their canopy spreads, the sheer weight of the limbs can bend to the point where they touch the ground. A tree might be 70-80 feet tall and spread 100 feet or more. Many people know of the "Angel Oak" near Charleston. It is estimated to be 400-500 years old, but some estimates put its age much higher. The limbs are like a flowing veil from the main stem of the tree. It's spectacular, for sure.

I'm drawn to them no matter where I travel. Southern plantation and homestead owners planted them along roads knowing that they would never get to enjoy the full experience of the great oaks. Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama has the Avenue of the Oaks, which is a half mile of evenly-spaced oaks that are estimated to be around 100 years old.

The photograph here is the Avenue of the Oaks on the campus of Spring Hill College.