How can you have left out the rowan? It's traditionally the first tree we should plant, to keep our house safe from evil spirits. And it's not just for near houses, it's one of the most frequent trees found high up on Scottish hills, often growing on rocks where sheep and deer can't get at it. With spectacular flowers in Spring and berries in Autumn it's very decorative too. The berries are much appreciated by the various thrushes - I'd post a photo of a mistle thrush enjoying ours last week if I could see how. And you can make very characterful rowan jelly from the berries (while still leaving enough for the thrushes), which goes very well with all the venison we should be eating to keep our deer population within bounds
Rowan was a close second for me. This year in particular, the berries have been phenomenal and up until last week were a dominant colour but clouds of hundreds of fieldfares and redwings filled the sky last week and have almost striped them bare. Jenny - ranger based in Wester Ross.
My favourite is definitely the oak, mainly because of the tremendous number of other species it supports directly (over 800 I seem to recall?) but also because it’s the first tree I become familiar with as a boy, playing at the base of a large one at the top of our garden. Finding acorns has become much harder lately I’ve noticed, so I hope the ones that are being produced are growing into saplings in good numbers.
I love beeches for their hardy, pioneering spirit - first in when any scrubby ground becomes available - and their gorgeous, white bark which has them float like ghosts in the dusk at this time of year. Their leaves punch out, hot yellow in the autumn, and shush and shiver in the summer as you pass underneath. I don't know much about their insect or bird life - looking forward to learn about that!
How can you have left out the rowan? It's traditionally the first tree we should plant, to keep our house safe from evil spirits. And it's not just for near houses, it's one of the most frequent trees found high up on Scottish hills, often growing on rocks where sheep and deer can't get at it. With spectacular flowers in Spring and berries in Autumn it's very decorative too. The berries are much appreciated by the various thrushes - I'd post a photo of a mistle thrush enjoying ours last week if I could see how. And you can make very characterful rowan jelly from the berries (while still leaving enough for the thrushes), which goes very well with all the venison we should be eating to keep our deer population within bounds
Rowan was a close second for me. This year in particular, the berries have been phenomenal and up until last week were a dominant colour but clouds of hundreds of fieldfares and redwings filled the sky last week and have almost striped them bare. Jenny - ranger based in Wester Ross.
My favourite is definitely the oak, mainly because of the tremendous number of other species it supports directly (over 800 I seem to recall?) but also because it’s the first tree I become familiar with as a boy, playing at the base of a large one at the top of our garden. Finding acorns has become much harder lately I’ve noticed, so I hope the ones that are being produced are growing into saplings in good numbers.
I love beeches for their hardy, pioneering spirit - first in when any scrubby ground becomes available - and their gorgeous, white bark which has them float like ghosts in the dusk at this time of year. Their leaves punch out, hot yellow in the autumn, and shush and shiver in the summer as you pass underneath. I don't know much about their insect or bird life - looking forward to learn about that!
and traditionally their buds were used as toothpicks!
I love the images you have conjoured up for us there Jackie - what a wonderful description of a stunning tree. - Imogen