Diary 20th And 21st February 2017

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Diary Monday 20th February 2017 I was quite down today following the decision yesterday not to continue attending the writing workshops given the regime change there and decision to avoid pre-organizing events or even have any writing at all if members just want to socialize and eat cake. I got some shopping and visited the library as the weather began to turn gloomy again after a few nice days. Diary Tuesday 21st February 2017 Today’s weather was horrible but it was a day to look forward to as a friend, historian, Steve Halliwell was giving a relaxed slide show-power point presentation on trees at the local community centre. As well as local history, Steve writes about natural history and landscape. The talk was called ‘The Hornbeam To The Handkerchief Tree.’ He started by noting that our landscape would be so barren & desolate without trees. He showed how even fallen trees have great beauty, as nature reclaims them in lichen, and flowers. Trees are important to our ecology. A single oak tree can be a home for up to 500 different species of insects at the same time. He showed photos (all taken by himself around the UK) including Willow Trees in Autumn/Winter red. He told us how nettle leaves are important to butterflies who often lay their eggs in nettles. He showed us a few trees damaged by idiots setting fires in recesses in the bark at ground level, while other trees in public parks have been helped by having wooden and metal braces set up o support large branches that might otherwise pull the whole tree over. Steve calls such supports ‘arboreal zimmer frames’. He showed many trees that have been purposely planted close together so their trunks grow intertwined together in curious patterns. Some artificial woodlands, known as coppices are used to grow trees that can be cut down at certan ages for their wood to be used for various duties. Pit props in mining and wine barrels in brewing are often from coppice woods. Cedar wood is often used for building wooden ships as it is more resistant to sea water than many. He showed photos of trees close to home, such as the lime tree avenues of Preston’s Avenham Park, which I have walked through. Lime tree pollen proves quite intoxicating to bees who often get addicted to it and even drunk from it. Steve showed some imported trees grown on the estates of various stately homes including some trees from Chili that have very high heat resistance, even proving able to survive volcanic lava flows. Steve showed some photos of Jet, which forms from fossilized Monkey Puzzle Trees. Steve showed how much difference even a single tree can make to a view. He captured a shot of a large tree near a stone cottage and we might not have seen the cottage in the shot had he not drawn our attention to it. Months later, Steve revisited the area after the tree was cut down by the cottage owner as it deprived his home of light. Now the cottage was in plain direct view from exactly the same spot the first photo had been taken. Steve noted a love for the gardens of many stately homes which he finds much more interesting than the houses themselves as the gardens are often the last places some rare trees survive. In heavily populated impoverished districts trees are often cut down from a need for firewood, while the trees in the isolated cultivated gardens of the rich are often left safe to grow. The Handkerchief tree is so called for its leaves flowering to look like handkerchiefs. The trees are sometimes also called Dove Trees and Ghost trees. A lovely talk with some great photos and a very enthusiastic presentation style. The tree photo shared here is one of my own. Arthur Chappell