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I was in Bay Shore today, south of Montauk Highway on Lawrence Lane near Cove Walk. For a two or three block area there were some magnificent looking trees, probably a few dozen, which look like they've probably been there for close to a hundred years when the area was first developed and most are along the roadway. They can be seen pretty easily on streetside views from mapping sites.
They had very gnarly or bumpy or burly trunks which had fairly smooth bark that was a light rust color. They appeared to be a little shorter than the oaks in the area and were rather sparse as far as their leaf canopy, maybe because they're old, maybe it's still too early in the season. I don't believe I've ever seen this type of tree on Long Island before so I'm pretty sure they're not native to the area.
Who knows what they are and the story behind their existence here?
That part of Bay Shore was once part of the Francis Lawrence estate during the mid 1800s so yes those trees are really old. There's actually two parallel lines of them: one on Lawrence Lane and an almost-matching line on West Lane. I believe, though I can't recall where I saw/heard it, that those once lined the approach to the main house. The width of the drive was essentially equal to the length of Cove Walk.
Very old trees, especially in areas prone to high wind stress, can get gnarled trunks like these over time. Very old oaks do this, especially if they have been "topped" at some time during their lives. But I'm guessing you ruled out oaks because you would have recognized the leaf shape? If so, sycamore is a possibility.
The Bay Shore Historical Society would probably know for sure though:
They look lobed to me. Hard to tell because of the pic fuzziness. That general shape could match with sycamore from a distance, although sycamore lobes are a little less separated (more of a fan shape) than these appear to be.
ETA: I got a better shot at the leaves by panning and looking at a different tree. Those leaves do look very much like sycamore. Definitely not oak. And the tree bark appears to have peeling with gray underneath which would also match up with sycamore.
They look lobed to me. Hard to tell because of the pic fuzziness. That general shape could match with sycamore from a distance, although sycamore lobes are a little less separated (more of a fan shape) than these appear to be.
ETA: I got a better shot at the leaves by panning and looking at a different tree. Those leaves do look very much like sycamore. Definitely not oak. And the tree bark appears to have peeling with gray underneath which would also match up with sycamore.
I do believe you're right!
I found this picture when I googled sycamore tree bark.
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