I took these photographs in two areas that aren’t very far apart near the top of Buffalo Road in Caroline, NY. I’m impressed by the adaptations the trees have made in response to where they are growing. The majestic maple has been growing on the edge of the woods in a clear area for a long time. The trees behind it are young. This tree has been alone in the sun for much of its life.
Not far up the hill from this spot is a group of trees that are growing close together. It looks like they have been competing (or sharing) the sun for their entire lives.
Maple Edge Tree: Growing in the Sun 
Thicket
The combination of these two photos presents a wonderful contrast in growth “style.” I’m guessing that your most recent works are on a scale that’s nearly 200x your close-up images of not that long ago. Do you prefer one scale over the other and do you easily travel between the worlds of small and large?
I go through phases in the subjects I choose to photograph. When I was growing up it was all about horses. When my husband Tim and I used to take tandem trike tours it was whatever appealed as we passed it on the road. Later I collected pictures of people in our neighborhood. The seed pod phase lasted quite a while but was interrupted one year by hands. I spent so much time in our woods during the pandemic that I finally began to study the trees. I still see favorite seed pods but my focus for photography seems to have moved on to something bigger.