On Sat, 18 Apr 2009 07:41:26 -0500, "Andrew Ostrander"
wrote:

This reminds me of a question I've wondered about for a few years now. Why
do people paint the trunks of palm trees white? Living very far from any
palm trees, there's no one local I can ask.



There was a local that painted the trunks white. I thought it was to
prevent backing his vehicle into one at night. Painting trunks may be
a cultural thing. There is a lesbian couple who ran a MS farm and
painted a tree lavender every time they were harassed. Anyway,
painting a trunk, good or bad, is a crime against nature. Perhaps the
paint discourages palmetto bugs. When I planted my sugar maple tree
15 years ago I used a plastic spiral perforated wrap to prevent deer
damage, then removed the wrap after 4 years. Today, the 50-foot
maple provides afternoon shade to my garage, yet full sun in winter to
warm the garage.