The end of a legend
- Adrian Wirz
- Dec 20
- 2 min read
In mid-July 2023, I received news that the cherry tree in Buus had not survived the recent thunderstorm unscathed. Since I had planned to visit this area in the Basel region that same evening anyway, my path also led me to this cherry tree.
The photo above was taken at the beginning of April 2023. The one below is from July 12, 2023.
I'm curious to see what happens to this cherry tree. I think the drought and its age (over 100) have taken their toll, and since it was (and still is) somewhat exposed, a strong gust of wind was probably all it took. As far as I could tell, the cherries had been picked, so it wasn't carrying any extra weight. What wonderful and varied hours we spent by this cherry tree! Very often, early in the morning, tripods would be lined up next to each other, and interesting conversations would develop. We were also able to hold several cherry blossom photography workshops there.
I remember vividly how I'd had this photo in my mind for so long. On that (very early) morning, everything was perfect! The full moon at my back and the blossoms at their peak. I arrived at the location at 4 a.m. There had to be just a little daylight so the sky wouldn't be completely dark. Eventually, I got my shot, and when the next photographers arrived, I left. The sky in the east had become overcast, so there was no chance of a breathtaking sunrise.
Photos of this tree with the full moon have frequently appeared on social media and websites. They are all fakes; the moon was digitally added later. Besides myself, I only know one other person who has the original image of the tree and full moon: Ch. Schlatter. Everything else falls under the category of "creative manipulation with Photoshop" or "we're adding a moon to a photo." The quality of my photo isn't good enough to present here; as I've mentioned elsewhere, the combination of a Nikon Z7 and a Sigma 150-500 lens didn't work.
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