On:
In: black poplar, photo

Black poplar Populus nigra (subspecies betulifolia) is a tree native to Britain and well-adapted to our floodplains. The species is widespread across the country but never common. Black poplars often lean, and when in leaf their characteristic diamond-shaped leaves (cuneate leaf-bases) also help in identification. Female trees are very rareContinue Reading

On:
In: art, photo

This is the latest in my Elm series; my last image being Ghost elm. I captured the shadow of a very large and healthy Cornish elm Ulmus minor subsp. angustifolia growing in East Sussex. It is one of the last large elm trees remaining alive in England, following the spreadContinue Reading

On:
In: photo

High up in a Dartmoor valley, at the upper limit of tree life, I discovered these two rowan trees clinging to the granite clitter (the debris below a tor). They were among a group of scattered rowan trees growing in one of my favourite places, known as Tavy Cleave. IContinue Reading

Beech tree rent asunder

On:
In: forestry, photo, trees

On a recent trip to a woodland in southern England I came across a beech tree that had been rent asunder by winter gales. The tree had a large fork and one of its stems had broken causing the entire trunk to split open, all the way to the ground.Continue Reading

Ghost elm

On:
In: photo

The ghost of an English elm that died forty years ago from Dutch elm disease (Ophiostoma novo-ulmi). In an English meadow, this stump is all that remains of a majestic elm Ulms procera that once typified the English landscape until the arrival of Dutch elm disease in the 1960s. SeeContinue Reading

misty morning trees

On:
In: photo

I always say to myself, “don’t forget the camera“. You never know when you may come across a great landscape scene, newsworthy event, or chance upon something really photogenic. Today was one of those frantic mornings – getting the kids ready for school and dashing off for work – andContinue Reading

Fall in woodland

On:
In: art, environment, nature, photo

The colours and texture of Autumn are perfectly captured, with a hint of seasonal swirling winds. I love the idea of falling into the woodland; like disappearing down a silvan plug hole.Continue Reading

Barrow Wake panorama

On:
In: photo, photography

Barrow Wake is a well-known viewpoint near the village of Birdlip in Gloucestershire, England. It has fine views from its seat on the Cotswolds, looking West over the Vale of Gloucester towards the distant Malvern Hills. The view was particularly fine earlier this week when I happened to be passingContinue Reading

Sandalwood billets and chips stacked ready for processing at the Mysore factory

On:
In: feature, forestry, photography, travel, trees

Sandalwood Santalum album L., commonly known as East Indian Sandalwood or Chandan, is a small tropical tree highly prized for its wood and scented oil. Its wonderful fragrant oil is used in perfumes, toiletries and incense. It is a fascinating tree in many ways. Sandalwood: the tree and its cultivationContinue Reading

Sunrise in the Cevennes

On:
In: photo, travel

I enjoy the subjects provided by the Weekly photo challenge.  This week I’ve cheated, just a little, as the theme is Sunset and I have posted instead a sunrise. I like this photo so I thought I could get away with posting it. While on holiday in France in July,Continue Reading

Walnut collecting family with donkeys in Kyrgyzstan

On:
In: Kyrgyzstan, people, photo, photography

Deep in the walnut-fruit forests of Kyrgyzstan, miles from the nearest track passable by a 4×4, I was climbing a narrow path when the family group suddenly appeared around a corner. I quickly asked (with gestures only as I don’t speak Kyrgyz) whether I could take a photo, and after Dad’s nodding approval I managed to take just two frames as they carried on past.Continue Reading

Robin's pincushion gall - Diplolepis rosae

On:
In: feature, nature, photo, trees

Cecidology – the study of galls produced on trees and plants by fungi, insects, or mites Most children have played games with oak apples (e.g. they’re great in a slingshot!) but few kids, or adults, realise that an oak apple is not a natural part of the tree, at least notContinue Reading