Magnificent Magnolia may have antebellum roots

A beautiful Magnolia.  

The big tree from about 100 feet away

I rousted the dog out and we walked down to the same pecan orchard we crossed this morning. This time we had to cross the tick filled cogongrass without the help of a trail. The grass which in some places grows chest high is difficult to cross but the destination made it worth it.  We were walking to a very old magnolia the size of which I have never witnessed until I stumbled onto this one.  I photographed the trunk with the dog standing next to it to give some sense of the size.  The dog is about 5 feet from nose to tail so you can see that the trunk is very wide.     A couple of the branches that extend from the trunk are at least 2 feet in diameter and they travel out nearly horizontal for about 20 feet.  This tree is in the middle of the orchard so it must have been very large when the orchard was planted to have been spared.  I have a feeling that someone lived under or nearby because there is a crepe myrtle growing to one side.  There is also evidence that there was some kind of building on the ground in several places around the tree.  The folks who own the orchard almost never come here and I have only seen a few of the family members here once while they were shooting squirrels. A very large wisteria vine has grown up into the tree on one side and appears to be ancient itself.  The vine has a massive trunk of about 5 inches.  I viewed a couple of old magnolias online and I would think that this one probably predates the civil war period.  This area at that time was most likely untamed wilderness with only the occasional hunter passing through the woods.  This tree is a gift to us from the distant past.  My hope is that this old timer will see another hundred years of peace and quiet in the orchard.   Thanks for coming by tonight.