Any time between November and February, the Spanish Plane Tree (Platanus Hispanica) will be pruned back in Mallorcan pueblos, ready for new growth in the spring. The tree gives some opulent amount of shade during the Summer months, much appreciated during the Mediterranean heat. The pruning procedure is called pollarding, a technique by which the upper branches of the trees are removed, promoting a dense head of foliage and branches.

Two weeks ago, municipal workmen were busy in Passeig de N’Ernest Mestre in Felanitx pollarding some forty Platanus trees. It only took them three or four days. The result is quite a transformation. Felanitx looks quite a different place now in that particular street. You may well witness a similar radical change in your own town or village any moment now.

The photos were taken in Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: November 15th and 27th, 2010. The time was 11:21:49 and 12:41:58, respectively.