30 Days Wild 2019 – Day Twenty-five.

Day 25: Today’s 30 Days Wild is all about trees.

I find it difficult to ID trees, so I decided to make an attempt at some identification. I pass lots of trees on my route to work, so collected some leaves as I walked.

If you think I may have got these wrong please correct me. Thanks.

Leaves

1. 1. Oak: I was ok identifying this native leaf but then I read that there are two types of oak in the UK, English oak and sessile. Possibly this is a sessile oak which prefers the north? Oak trees can grow up to 40m in height and won’t produce acorns until 40 years of age!
   2. Ash: I think this is a compound ash leaf but not 100%. They can live up to 400 years, longer if coppiced.
   3. Sycamore: Again not 100% on this. It could be a maple or guelder rose. Another long lived tree. Fruits are known as samaras, or helicopters in Liverpool. Do you know them by a different name?
   4. Hawthorn: I thought I would finish on an easy one, as I’ve just ordered one from The Woodland Trust. Hawthorns are native and in spring their leaves are edible. They can grow to 15m but are usually used as hedgerows.

These were just a few of the leaves I collected. I think a couple more were from a hazel and silver birch but not certain. I really need to buy a book on tree identification. If you have any suggestions let me know.

What’s your favourite tree?

Thanks for reading, and stay wild!

Christine x

Wild October – Week Two.

This week has all been about fun with leaves!

At the weekend, I made a special effort to get out of the house. I dragged David and my mum along with me as I went in search of autumn!

We visited Liverpool’s Festival Gardens which I blogged about in June for 30 Day’s Wild. We took a leisurely walk around the Japanese and Chinese gardens before entering the woodland walk. I looked for signs of autumn, collected fallen leaves, fir cones, sycamore seeds and other seasonal detritus. I even relived my childhood by kicking leaves and blowing dandelion docks.

Woodland walk

Japanese Garden

Dragonfly

Dandelion Dock

Blackberries

Back home, I arranged all that I had collected on a makeshift nature table. I was able to ID a few leaves. Maple, oak, birch and beech but I could not ID all, maybe you can do better?

While wondering what to do with my harvest, I was enjoying the writings of two fellow bloggers. Nicky at Too Lazy to Weed, writes about the nature in her garden and has many fascinating insights into moths and hedgehogs. Emma on her Discovery Hub, blogs and vlogs many facts about wildlife. Check them both out for more information!

During the week. I utilised the leaves I had collected to a) make a crown and b) make animal collages, though I have not got much artistry talent.

You may have wondered why the leaves change colour at all? Here’s a useful inforgram to explain things, better than I could!

I thought the touching Shakespeare sonnet, 73 was in keeping with this theme.

That time of year thou may’st in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou see’st the twilight of such day,
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by-and-by black night doth take away,
Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire
Consum’d with that which it was nourish’d by.
This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

So, as the nights are drawing in and the cold air makes me want to hibernate, I will end the post with Vivaldi’s Autumn, from his Four Seasons. Enjoy!

What, if anything are you enjoying about autumn?

Christine x