Found in LA: A Limp Dead Palm Tree

Photographer honeybeejen submitted this photo to our LAist Featured Photo pool on Flickr earlier this week asking "What the heck happened here??" It was taken in Claremont, but we sought out the advice of George Gonzalez, Los Angeles' Chief Forester.

"It is not a common occurrence, but I have seen it in abandoned date orchards," Gonzalez explained in an e-mail. "It's difficult to say why this happened just based on a photo."

So the mystery remains, but that's okay. Gonzalez gave us a great quote in his e-mail signature: "Trees are the lungs of the city." Hear, hear!