Autumn acer leaves

There isn't a season (winter, of course, excepted) when an acer tree doesn't have a show of beautiful leaves. In previous gardens we have had a few acers; in the present garden just the one. But this solitary specimen has beautiful red leaves in spring, foliage that goes well with a blue sky, and a fine mixture of orange and greens in autumn that even that season's ravages of insects, wind and rain cannot dull.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Scots pine bark

The patterns in the bark of trees have often prompted me to take a photograph of their attractive qualities. I have several of plane tree bark, a couple of silver birch bark and sundry others. Today's image shows a section of scots pine bark, a species that I have also photographed previously. Tree bark varies in appearance with the age of the tree. Both the examples of scots pine bark belong to mature specimens.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Autumn beeches

Arboriculturists seek to breed ever more beautiful trees. Over the years we have visited a number of arboretums and have been impressed by the variety of colours that have been coaxed out of tree families. Acers, in particular, have been the focus of plant breeders and a vast range of leaf shapes and colours have been drawn from this variety. But, every autumn, as I gaze upon the native beech trees' leaves changing from green to brown to orange then gold, I remind myself that there are few finer sights than the autumn sunlight seen through the leaves of Fagus sylvatica. These examples were photographed in the Forest of Dean.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Acer keys

Acer trees are planted mainly for the beauty of their leaf colour that is an attraction particularly in autumn. For some, however, it is the many variations of their leaf shape that appeals. What doesn't figure in people's choice of acer, as far as I know, is their winged keys, technically known as "samaras". When I looked at them on our acer the other day I was struck by their delicacy and colour, and was motivated to photograph this small cluster.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Autumnal silver birch

There are a number of striking trees in autumn - the lime trees with their yellow leaves, the beech with leaves that I suppose are orange but look like gold, and the acers seemingly capable of producing leaves of any colour or even any two colours. However, for subtlety the silver birch (Betula pendula) takes some beating. We came across this example as we walked home and the juxtaposition of the leaves and bark lit by the low sun was hard to resist.

 photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Puzzle on Hergest Ridge

The puzzle on Hergest Ridge is this: why is there a 3X3 grid of monkey puzzle trees (Araucaria araucana) on top of the upland hill? It is unusual to find this tree, also known as the Chilean Pine, outside of gardens, and its presence on this exposed, wind-swept summit on the border of Herefordshire and Wales is a conundrum. They are likely to be there on a landowner's whim, and are perhaps associated with the former horse racetrack whose oval can still be seen. The tree was not widely known in Britain until around the 1850s, and I remember reading that one of the Victorian houses below the Ridge had a driveway flanked by them. Perhaps that is the connection. 

photo © T. Boughen     Camera:iPhone

Maple leaves in August

Recently I stood and looked at the maple tree in the corner of our garden. Like many plants in this exceptionally dry summer it is looking a little distressed. The absence of rain, the high temperatures, the clear blue skies and the regular, strong and drying winds have all taken their toll. And yet, standing below the branches and looking upwards through the leaves there was still plenty to delight the eye - subtle complementary colours, delicate outlines, cellular details, overlapping shapes and deep shadows. So, I mounted a macro lens on a camera and took a few shots before any further deterioration set in.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Trees and the city - 1

Walking past 100 Liverpool Street, the multipurpose new edifice near Liverpool Street railway station, London, I looked up and noticed a young tree peeping over the top of the building. I imagine there is a space on the roof open to some of the occupants where people take a break, eat lunch, or have a coffee. The contrast between the natural form of the tree and the man-made form of the building was stark. Perhaps in the fullness of time it, and its companions will take root and soften what is currently an expanse of concrete, glass and steel. As I looked at the tree I couldn't help but compare it with the tree in the next post.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Cherry tree bark

A maxim I thought up many years ago goes like this: "if you look at something twice or more there's a good chance there's a photograph in it." It's proved to be right much more often than wrong, though that may have something to do with the kind of photographs I take. I've looked at the subject of today's photograph a lot more than once. It's the bark on a cherry tree next to a public playground that we sometimes go to with our grandchildren. I've photographed it a few times too and been unhappy with the shots. But I got something that satisfied me when we were there recently.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Christmas baubles past and present

When I was young I particularly liked Christmas tree baubles of the type shown in today's photograph - a ball with a deep indentation. I suppose they seemed to offer more than a plain sphere, looking as they do, somewhat like a model of the earth with a glimpse of the hot core. In those days baubles were made of glass but today safer plastic is favoured. However, the example shown is glass, one of several indented baubles we bought several decades ago. Every few years one of them is dropped and it breaks and eventually we will have none left. But until that time I'll enjoy how they look and how they are a tangible reminder of festive seasons past. Merry Christmas!

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Cherry tree leaves

One of the houses we have lived in had several cherry trees. Most were ornamental species and if they did produce cherries they were mostly small fruit. One tree sometimes had larger cherries to the delight of the local blackbirds. However, what all of them did produce in abundance was colourful autumn leaves. The depth of the autumn colour reflected the weather of the growing season, but more often than not they had leaves of a brightness rivalled only by the acers. Walking through the park in Great Malvern recently we came across a cherry tree with deep red, orange and yellow leaves, probably as bright as they ever get.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

More autumn acers

Gardeners generally call the Acer genus of trees and shrubs by their Latin name: to the layman they are more often "maples". The distribution of the 132 species extends across Asia, Europe, North Africa and North America. Only one species is found in the southern hemisphere.

 In the UK the most common Acer or maple is a the sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), a tree that foresters often describe as a weed species. However, such is the popularity of the ornamental acers they can be found growing in the wild having escaped the confines of gardens and country estates. The examples in this post were photographed at Westonbirt National Arboretum in Gloucestershire.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Oak Meadow, Ross on Wye

In the centre of the view from The Prospect in Ross on Wye is Oak Meadow, a big field that fills much of a large meander of the River Wye. It is named after the old oak tree at its centre, presumably planted as shade for farm animals that used the field. Photographs of the field taken in 1886 show the "rare old oak" and local attempts to age the now split and partly hollow tree are many. It has been called the "Domesday Oak" suggesting it dates from around 1087 when the Domesday Book was compiled. Attempts to link it to the time of Elizabeth I or Henry VIII suggest an age of 500 or 600 years. All this is speculation without the support of dendrochronology. As we looked out from The Prospect recently we noticed the farmer taking what appears to be the first steps in erecting fencing around the oak, as protection from animals and farm vehicles perhaps, steps that will help ensure it continues for many more years.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Magnolia blossom and frost

A magnolia tree in full flower is one of the finest sights a garden can offer. This year, in our part of Herefordshire, the trees look the best we have seen them. What makes them particularly outstanding this year? It's the absence of frost. And therein lies the problem with magnolia blossom - it is, more often than not, spoiled by a frost that stains the petals brown and makes them look dead. One of our gardens had a magnolia and it was at that time that we came to understand this tree's drawbacks. There is another: the leaves are very strong, leathery, and do not easily decompose, so they have to be collected otherwise they will litter the lawn and borders for months on end. But, on balance, I like to see magnolias in bloom - as long as they are in someone else's garden.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Goat Willow catkins

Along the River Wye in Herefordshire the goat willow (Salix caprea) are displaying their catkins. Many species of trees have flowers in the form of catkins including hazel, alder, silver birch, white poplar and walnut, as well as willow. The goat willow is also known as the great sallow and pussy willow. The trees growing by the Wye provides a useful service by anchoring the bank and slowing its erosion. In the past it was known for its medicinal value in reducing fever, acting as a pain killer and for its anti-inflammatory properties. It was also a source of charcoal, particularly for use by artists.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Pollarded willow

On one of our regular walks we pass a willow that was pollarded at some point in the first half of 2020. I took my first photograph of the tree in June, the second in November and this one, the third, in January. Ever since we had a very large willow in the garden of our last house pollarded I've admired the resilience of this species, and have taken quite a few photographs of them after the chain saw has been at work.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

"So this is Christmas..."

John Lennon's opening words to his song, "Merry Xmas (War Is Over)", seem somehow appropriate at this strangest of Christmas times. The combination of the pandemic and the actions of the most inept British government of my lifetime (and possibly ever) have made it a Christmas like no other. But, in the small part of my life that is this blog, I will not dwell on such things. Instead I'll try and post images of interest that exist despite the gloom that surrounds us, such as this rain-speckled bauble on the public Christmas Tree in the centre of Ross on Wye, Herefordshire.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Stag's Horn Sumac leaves

Many years ago we had a Stag's Horn Sumac tree (Rhus typhena) growing in our front garden. It was an attractive specimen that flourished in the city in a relatively small space and it could easily be kept small and still offer the beauty of its leaves. However, it had two faults which, eventually, caused us to replace it. Firstly, it sent out frequent suckers which tried to establish themselves and which required controlling. And secondly, it had the habit of losing limbs in strong winds and therefore was frequently an odd and unattractive shape. I was reminded of this tree when I photographed the colourful autumn leaves on a "Rhus", as we call them, in a front garden in Ross on Wye.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Churchyard tree

This fine specimen of a tree can be found in the churchyard of St Mary's, Ross on Wye. It is a notable tree for its short trunk and fan-like shape as well as the spectacle it presents in autumn. And for the fact that I can't identify the species. I've seen the tree in a few places around the country - they draw attention to themselves with their tightly packed branches that are sharply angled upwards - but I've never been able to put a name to it. I suspect it may be a Caucasian Elm (Zelcova carpinifolia), or perhaps a Keaki (Zelcova serrata), but the descriptions and illustrations of neither of these are entirely like the tree in the photograph.

Addendum: It's a hornbeam!

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Red acer, blue sky

Can there be a more popular genus of tree than the acer? Flowering cherry I hear you cry, and I must admit they do seem to be equally beloved. I currently live in the well-wooded county of Herefordshire and here it seems that the acer almost competes in numbers with the fruit trees in the plentiful orchards. Breeders have ensured that an acer with almost any tint of red, orange, yellow and green is available and in gardens, parks, roadside verges, even supermarket car parks, they are currently (mid-April) showing their leaves to great advantage. This example is in our garden. We had a similar variety in our previous garden but it succumbed to successive hard winters. I have higher hopes for this tree.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10