This lonely tree stands sentinel in a farm field in McClure, Illinois. I pass this tree every day and admire its strength but pity its solitude. I've photographed it more times than I can count, but this photograph captured March 22, 2022, is my favorite. It captures the threat of nature from above, and the isolation of this tree.

The Shawnee National Forest looms in the distance, but trees are sparse in the flat fields of the Mississippi River bottomland. That's because row crop farmers notoriously hate trees. Trees are an encumbrance that slow both planting and harvest due to the necessity of having to maneuver heavy equipment around them.

Somehow this tree has managed to survive not only the axe, but epic flooding, tornadoes, lightning and parasites. It stands in defiance of man as a testament to nature's strength.