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

The warm light of (almost) winter

The pollarded willow tree above featured in a photograph with vapour trails that I took in June. This was shortly after it had been cut and all the year's shoots had been removed. The photograph above is testament to the resilience of the willow: by next year it will have quite a full head of shoots and branches. I took this photograph at sunset as we walked by the River Wye, the warm tinges of the sunlit clouds contrasting with the cold blue of the sky and the growing shadows. The image is a reminder that winter will offer warmth to photographs but mainly when the sun is near the horizon.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Tree and sky echoes

As I understand it the willows of varying species that flank the River Wye where it meanders through flatter landscapes serve an important function by anchoring the banks. In their absence the soft soil would be too easily eroded and the river would widen, perhaps change course more readily, and maintain a higher rate of flow, thereby presenting more problems for buildings and farmers. Consequently its not unusual to see the bankside willows being pruned and pollarded to encourage their growth and additional plantings are a reasonably common sight. This relatively large willow has received a heavy pruning but is already beginning to sprout shoots. I passed it some time after three aircraft had passed over. The wind-induced waywardness of their vapour trails echoed the irregular lines of the cropped branches.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Watery willow tree

The semi-abstract reflections that objects make in water has always fascinated me. That's partly because it's not until you have the photograph that you know precisely how the image will look. This shot was taken on the River Avon near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, last December before the willows had lost all their leaves. The swirling patterns that the water imparts to the reflected trees reminds me of some of the brushwork in Van Gogh's later paintings.

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

River Welland at Deeping St James

I've photographed this landscape view a few times because it holds some of the features that I most associate with the lowlands and the Fens - a church spire rising above the roofs of the surrounding village, willow trees by the riverside, and the slowly moving river itself, meandering through the fields and settlements, raised banks protecting the surrounding areas from its overflow.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100