Mariton: Living Sculptures
by Tim Burris, Preserve Manager
![](https://natlands.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Sassafras-scupture-022520-5.jpg)
Courting dancers
At Mariton, Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) trees tend to follow the sun more than other trees. Like a field of sunflowers that turns to face the sun, these young trees also move, but over longer periods of time. A nearby tree may lose a branch or fall down which provides a window of sunlight. And the young Sassafras will actually twist its trunk to take gaze at that window. Over time these trees take on interesting shapes.
![](https://natlands.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Sassafras-scupture-022520-4.jpg)
The entwining kiss
Sometimes they remind me of sculptures I have seen of dancing children. Sometimes it is just an abstract form. Honestly, I admire the Sassafras sculptures more than man-made sculptures because they were “chiseled” by light and time and nature. The best time to look for these interesting shapes is on a foggy morning that shields the “visual noise” of the surrounding forest. Moonlight nights are another great time to look for these interesting silhouettes.
![](https://natlands.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Sassafras-scupture-022520-11.jpg)
Abstract Cobra