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Hello Friends! I just finished a post (it's the next post below this one) on the Musee Carnavalet and as I was getting off of the computer and saw this, I just had to share, in case you have not heard...Marie Antoinette's tree in her treasured Hamlet has toppled from the severe storm that hit France and Spain. The tree survived the French Revolution, the years, and a devastating 1999 storm, but high winds have toppled a huge and ancient beech tree planted for Marie Antoinette over two centuries ago in the Versailles grounds.
All photos via Fox News"Imagine how an old tree in Versailles is vulnerable to the wind," gardener Alain Baraton told AP Television News on Tuesday. "That was all it took to cause the tree to fall and crash."
The 82-foot tall Purple Beech tree, one of the very last trees in the Queen's hamlet dedicated to her in the vast royal park, was felled Friday by a fierce winter gust.
The 223-year-old tree's collapse exposed a jumble of roots, dirt and grass, was the latest victim to the Queen's Versailles vegetation after her most loved Oak tree died in a severe heat wave (in 2003).
The beech(in case you love the Latin form: Facus Sylvatica Purpura) had its own plaque showing the year it was planted (1786). 10 years ago, it had been damaged but survived an even more destructive storm that knocked down thousands of trees at Versailles and devastated the grounds.
Following that storm, the tree's roots had grown moldy and shrunk, they could no longer hold the weight.
The beech will get an unceremonious and unroyal (however, Green)finish: It will be cut up and sold to paper makers.
Just as I was finishing this post I saw a report that said at least 21 people died in the winter storm that hit France and Spain last week and my thoughts and prayers go out to those families. Much more important than a tree. I had no idea in my little corner of the world that it had been so severe. I hope people will be able to recoup their land, their crops, homes, etc.
