Dying Trees

The summers here have been hot. I often walk around my neighborhood and take photos of all the dying trees. This my “Dead Tree Project” which I started in 2023 when I started documenting the effects on local vegetation after 54 days above 115F (46.1C) degrees this summer in Phoenix, Arizona.

Dystopian bus stop. This was the scene that inspired me to take pictures of all the deceased trees I’ve been seeing everywhere.

These oranges were right in the middle of growing. It just stayed too hot here for too long this summer. These fruits are no longer edible.

I see this a lot. Most people’s backyards are surrounded by cinder block walls. Peeking over these walls are a lot of dead trees.

It’s common to see people try to save their trees by chopping the dead bits off until it eventually looks like this.

It’s not good seeing native trees (mesquite) in this condition.

Lots of big trees died this summer.

Lots of pine trees recently died. Even though they are not native, certain types used to do very well here.

My former boyfriend and I grew this walnut tree by seed almost 20 years ago at the first condo I ever bought. I swung by last week to see how it was doing, as I occasionally do. It was sad to see that it died this summer.

This is (was) my neighbor’s citrus tree. It was grafted to produce oranges, lemon, and lime on the same tree. Such a cool tree, now deceased. I, too, lost my wonderful lemon tree in 2023.

Peek-a-boo. So many residences have dead trees in their backyards.

A pair of trees, one alive, one not.

It’s never a good idea to plant big trees so close to a house. All that’s alive on this jacaranda are suckers. The main tree is a goner.

A lot of yards look like this. So many centerpiece trees died in the heat.

 

I hate that I drive by this once lovely citrus tree every day.

Such is the state of things around here.

Pictured are two large Ficus trees. I’ve been driving by these big beauties almost every day for 20 years. They seemingly died overnight in the middle of summer of 2023.

Another big boy, gone. Hopefully the owners will cut it down ($$) before it falls onto the house. (Note a white wing dove perched on a limb.

Another dying citrus tree. This one is across the street from me. The tree has died since I took this photo.

This is a native mesquite tree. It boasts one of the deepest tap roots in the natural world. It’s odd to see these dead all over the city. Either the aquifer is depleting or it’s getting too hot and it’s struggling to adapt.

Pictured is a palo verde. It’s a native tree that thrives in the desert. It’s concerning to see these dead all over town.

Dead Ficus trees. This tree is not native to the desert, yet they’ve been widely planted throughout the city. Many of them are now dead or dying. They are very big and conspicuous.

A tree in my neighborhood. Classic example of trimmers slowly lopping off dead limbs in attempt to save it. It didn’t work.

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