But one tree caught his eye five months ago simply because it was growing where it shouldn't have.

On the west side of N. Mathilda Avenue, outside the main city hall building, a small Mexican fan palm tree has taken up root in the crotch of a privet tree and has grown to more than two feet tall, with a number of fan-shaped fronds growing out of it.

Fournier first noticed the small tree while waiting for his friend to pick him up and was captivated by the odd phenomenon.

According to Sunnyvale Urban Landscape supervisor Leonard Dunn, the smaller tree most likely came from a seed left in the larger tree either by a foraging animal such as a squirrel or in bird droppings.

"Something should be done to protect it," Fournier said. "It's so unusual and beautiful."

Dunn said trees such as this will typically grow as long as there is enough support for them, but once they outgrow the space they are in, they'll either die or simply fall off.