Tree Roots

We're spending the weekend with Aunty Em and clan on a kibbutz-resort near the Dead Sea. As we were walking to our rooms, BSM had a great time pointing out tiny potholes and putting the dead leaves where they belong. Then he saw... something on the ground. Something that he doesn't remember ever seeing before and probably shouldn't be there.
"Tree roots," I told him, and pointed out the tree's trunk, branches, and leaves, all  with which he is eminently familiar. But this is the first time he's seen roots in two years: none of the many trees near us are old enough to have roots protruding from the ground.