"Touch of Torrey Pines"

"Touch of Torrey Pines"
36" x 24" Oil on Gallery Canvas
© Monique Straub

We're off for a hike through Torrey Pines State Park today, one of my local favorite outdoor getaways. I'm so intrigued by the distinctive trees that make this park a special place.

Here is a little info on the naming of these "Dr. Seuss" shaped oddities:

Because groves of trees were not common along the Southern California coast, early Spanish explorers (1500-1700 AD) referred to this area as Punto de Los Arboles, which literally means "Point of Trees." They used this area both as a landmark and as a warning that they were too close to the shore in the fog. The trees themselves were referred to as Soledad Pines (Solitary Pines) by the first non-Native Americans to visit the area. The name remained until 1850.

The first modern account of the Torrey pine occurred with the renaming of the tree in 1850. It was "officially" discovered by Dr. Charles Christopher Parry. Parry was in San Diego as botanist for the US - Mexico Boundary Survey. The purpose of the survey was to determine the boundaries between Mexico and California. Parry was a medical doctor with an interest in botany: specifically, why plants grew where they did and how Indians used plants. Parry named the tree for his friend and colleague, Dr. John Torrey, of New York. Torrey was one of the leading botanists of his time. He had co-authored A Flora of North America, and was the sole author of A Flora of New York State.

"Touch of Torrey Pines" is offered ready to hang and enjoy, on 1-1/2" gallery wrapped canvas, sides painted black. $980 + $35 to ship anywhere in the continental U.S. or pick up at my Art on 30th studio and I will refund the shipping fee.