I have chosen to post the photos of some of the trees on Thomas Edison’s estate in black and white. It seems like photographers do both when posting these types of photos. I guess it is a graphic, “arty” thing. The trees are very dynamic. They also have lines—lots of lines and usually that comes off well in the black and white format. The Banyan Tree in the above photo was a gift from tire industrialist Harvey Firestone in 1925. When the tree was planted, it was four feet high and two inches in diameter. Today the tree is an acre in diameter and has some 350 roots. After several years of studying natural materials that produced latex, Edison began to plant hundreds of varieties of plants on his Fort Myers property. The Banyan Tree was known for its latex—white milky sap.

This is a photo of the Mysore Fig tree also located on Edison’s property in Fort Myers, Florida. Edison studied it for its latex content. Ninety percent of its roots are external. The ones that are under ground are only 9″to 12″ deep!