Every morning we cross a footbridge over a busy road and it is amazing how overgrown the trees have become the last few weeks. I must confess I am not really up on my tree identification so I decided what I would do today is to collect some leaves, take some pics and try to identify them.
This is how I got on...
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| The footbridge surrounded by deciduous* trees (*deciduous means when a tree loses their leaves seasonally, usually autumn) |
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| Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) |
Not really native to the British Isles, it was introduced into the UK in the Middle Ages. This deciduous tree can grow up to 35m and can live up to 400 years. The seeds you will probably know as 'helicopters' and as a kid I remember throwing them up and seeing then spin to the ground.
In Wales, sycamore is traditionally used to make love spoons.
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| Common Ash (Fraxinus excelsior). |
A native, common and widespead deciduous tree that can grow up to 35m tall. It produces tiny clusters of flowers that turn into winged fruits in late summer and autumn and, interestingly, the leaves are still green when they begin to fall.
In Norse mythology the ash was referred to as 'The Tree of Life' and even today we regard ash as a healing tree.
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| Silver Birch (Betula pendula) |
Not 100% sure if this is a Birch (or a Beech) tree, but I am pretty sure it is. A native, deciduous tree that can grow up to 30m and produce 'catkins'. They can provide food and habitat for more than 300 insect species. Woodpeckers often nest in their trunks, but no sign of any around this area.
In Celtic mythology, the birch symbolised renewal. Bundles of birch twigs were used to drive out the spirits of the old year.
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| Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) |
The horse chestnut was first introduced to the UK in the 1600s, it was originally from the Balkan peninsula. It is most commonly found in parks and along roads.
It grows to around 28m and can live up to 300 years. Large spikes appear in May (as displayed in the above photo) and each flower will develop into a glossy brown conker which will be encased in a spiky green husk - these fall in autumn.
I don't know many people who haven't played a game of conkers and the earliest recorded game was in 1848 in the Isle of Wight.
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| Trying to identify the leaves. |
I would like to finish up with a few pics I took at lunchtime. Like yesterday, I walked down to the River Tawe, but today I was relieved that the weather had improved and got to see more wildlife. This included a female blackbird and a small bird I believe is a dunnock - I am not 100% sure so please feel free to correct me in the comments.
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| The River Tawe with sycamore trees |
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| A female blackbird amongst the flowers |
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| A dunnock (?) with his lunch |
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