![](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/fZRw0Qu0N5DV0yO2xZNO7Y5fvifgf8on2IGl8t23bvFrksr-jIUhdRB_b88LjBxqlSg)
Is this old water oak tree on a trail we frequent a signal or marker tree, made by Native Americans and used as a navigational aid in the forests? By bending a young sapling at a right angle to the ground, they altered a tree to serve as a signpost to others, indicating a trail direction or marking a point of interest, such as a natural spring or a safe river crossing.
![](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/nNRH8Fuk6rMm5u0YBQANm1Oi5ktiTGr3lJVqPfJxcBYuKfgbRXXtCmjQX_HIyMOOF9A)
As the tree matured, it grew back upward toward the light, pointing the way to the desired direction to whomever passed.
We aren’t sure if this tree is a signal tree or not. There are only a few hundred documented examples in the United States and no studies done in our state.
A survivor of hurricanes and loggers, fires and diseases, it is several hundred years old, plenty old enough to have done the job.
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3ItTzbM-wYk0OYAJYcqtShRmMDwYqVD7aMgxTDcyu-9fsUsbxqxsAaESlNjttnKsiEI)
I call it the Elephant Tree because of its bark. What do you think? Do you see the elephant leg there?
It’s one of those trees I can’t resist. Don’t tell anyone, but when we pass by, I always stop and give it a hug!
![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/AE4Z7g-J5JJ6quJfbcaAVTchYjqzkvqoudOcmfCSgMELixgCHJAFq-4KHpIsVWYNCeA)
The waxing moon