Ultimate survivors

It's not a burned piece of wood under some leaves, this is a living tree trunk. As dead and burned as it looks, this Milkplum tree is bouncing back after having all of its branches burned off last winter

I have seen pictures of these trees growing to normal, large-tree proportions in areas that have deep soil and are protected from fires. This particular Milkplum is incredibly stunted from growing in the rocks and it is a very slow-growing tree anyway. From the size of the trunk, it's clear that this tree is extremely old and is really just a natural bonsai, capable of growing despite the harsh sun, high temperatures, very minimal soil and getting burned almost every year.

Here's another nearby tree trunk that is younger but no less gnarly. It looks like the trunks are quite corky. The cell structure of cork makes it fire-retardant and that seems to be what saves the tree - the leaves and smaller stems burn readily and once the trees catch fire, they burn fiercely. It looks like a mass of candles in a ball. The first time I saw one on fire, I thought that was the end of the poor tree that was no bigger than a bush. Next spring, it was growing again.