Dec 3rd, 2008

Ode to Virginia's 1,000-year-old Tree

by Jonah Holland

by Jonah Holland, PR & Marketing Coordinator, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

I didn’t know that Virginia’s largest tree was 80 miles southeast of Richmond. And I didn’t know that the 123-foot-tall and 12-1/2 foot-wide tree was 1,000 years old or older.  But the Washington Post reported this week that the ancient bald cypress died recently after a year of declining health.  It seems that its passing is worthy recognizing in a time when so many things are short lived. Yes 1,000 years seems like an incredible accomplishment in today’s world.  I only wish I had ventured to see it before it died.

Dubbed Big Mama, the largest tree in Virginia towered over Cypress Bridge, a swamp in the Nottoway River. The 40 acres of virgin wilderness is so remote, the tree’s existence wasn’t reported until 2005.
About Jonah Holland

Jonah Holland is Digital Content Manager at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, where she has worked for 14 years overseeing social media, the blog, and the website. She is also a mom, yogi, open water swimmer, gardener, and seeker. She's been known to go for a walk in the Garden and come back with hundreds of plant photos, completely inspired to write her next blog post.

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