It is a year of seeing Galls, and learning about them. The Knopper galls abound. A photo of 3 growing on one acorn. I have yet to collect enough oak galls to make the ink, but keep looking. This photo from July of fresh green galls forming, and an old gall cut in two. The… Continue reading Oak Galls and Knopper Galls and Wasp eggs on oak
Category: 2020
Trees & Woodland in the British Landscape – Oliver Rackham
Published in 1976, this is a classic and has not been out of print since. What a pleasure to read it. Headings such as History, psudo-history, anthropology and the Triumph of Unreason', Rackham sees the wood through the trees, or trees through the wood. I almost met him, but was far too busy sadly, and… Continue reading Trees & Woodland in the British Landscape – Oliver Rackham
Oak Notebook
Oak Notebook
Blyford Wood
Visited late afternoon one day in July at the invitation of Nathan, who has been living on the Blyford Estate for 7 years, and hoped to live there for 70, but has to leave in 7 weeks. The landowner Miles is selling/has sold his estate. Nathan invited me before he left, to see the old… Continue reading Blyford Wood
Wood working July 2020
Kaliwood work day, half day, with Megan, Leon, Christina, Louisa, Lorna and Mell. It's a great feeling working in a team of people, getting stuff done that's been on a list. Like the stand for the sculpture on the titanic point by Mark Fuller, which Mell sorted had waited over a year. The ditch cleared… Continue reading Wood working July 2020
Out of Lockdown woods
The woods are popular for an out of Lockdown location. Below the Yukes playing in July. Finally re organised the photographs, stappling them to the back wall. Thinking all the time of Graham, so grateful for all he has left me, not just the wood. Ash tree - large and healthy on the way to… Continue reading Out of Lockdown woods
Solstice 2020
David and Hugh could not come - Hugh unwell - so last minute we invited Bill and Deborarh, as Bill said he wanted to find contact with Jo about his pond. It worked out surprisingly fitting, as Bill waxed lyrical on Theatres to Roderick and films to Rupert. Delicious food, of show cocked peppes
Denton – East Wood with Jonathan Shearme
I found Jonathan Shearme and the most handsome hornbeam wood via the East Anglian Coppice Network. Exploring local woods this lockdown time, I remembered his description of managing 32 acres of hornbeam I'd recorded on our web site, and gave him a call. He invited me over - a mere 20 minutes from my door.… Continue reading Denton – East Wood with Jonathan Shearme
Sex lives of trees
Aged 63 I'm discovering and uncovering the sex life of trees. It's a consequence of Lockdown of course, having the time and mind empty enough to dally on what's in front of the nose. The oak was the first, seeing the male catkins. Pedunculate oak with acorns on stalks and Sessile oak with stalkless acorns.… Continue reading Sex lives of trees
In search of Railway Wood – with Rupert
It looked like a public footpath on the map, but clearly wasn't when we got there. But we found new ways and an old Hornbeam Coppice. Biking, we went over the Blyth, to where the Mells Sun Nudist came starts, and no entry clear. However, the footpath was marked through the edge of the golf… Continue reading In search of Railway Wood – with Rupert
Kaliwood 