Dancing on the Brink of the World
A MULTIMEDIA SHOWCASE OF THE MONTEREY CYPRESS
As the signature species of Cypress Lawn Arboretum, Hesperocyparis macrocarpa has graced the landscape of our storied Memorial Park since its founding in the late 1800s. Century-old specimens may be found on each campus across our acreage, and this one tree will likely define the cemeteries of Cypress Lawn for all eternity.
The tale of the Monterey Cypress, though, branches out far beyond the grounds of our cherished Arboretum, originating on a lonely rocky outcropping of the California coastline and today reaching by sea and by seed to every habitable continent on Earth. My dear friend, Old Hespero, lives a grand global narrative of kinship shared between people and trees, spanning across generations, and spreading to the distant corners of our planet, along the way fostering a cultural connection with humanity that grows on as an anecdote of our deeply rooted relationship with all of nature.
The stories, photographs, paintings, and poems of this virtual exhibit will share this ongoing message with you, one volume at a time over the seasons to come. As is often true in the interwoven tapestry of life, one string stitches to another, and yet another, perhaps in unforeseen ways, leading in time to a vast work of art with meaning and beauty beyond the intention of any one thread. Such is true of the growing saga of the Monterey cypress, continuing here in these words and ever dancing on the brink of the world.
Featured Post – Volume XIX – Failure
Each toppled cypress is more than a loss; it’s a lesson. These moments reveal the raw power of nature and the inherent cycles of growth and decay.
Failure, in this context, isn’t an end—it’s a transformation. A tree’s collapse, often due to age or storm, becomes an opportunity to understand its life, structure, and the forces that shaped it. Through careful observation, we learn how trees adapt, how they bear weight, and how they respond to
This perspective extends beyond arboriculture. In our lives, setbacks and failures can feel overwhelming. Yet, like the trees, we have the capacity to grow through adversity, to find strength in vulnerability, and to emerge more grounded and resilient.
Nature doesn’t fear failure—it embraces it as part of the journey. Each fallen branch nourishes the soil, each decay makes way for new life. At Cypress Lawn, we honor this cycle, finding inspiration in the trees that stand tall and those that have fallen.
