…is the Latin name for the horse chestnut tree. I always think of the horse chestnut as being a quintessential feature of the English countryside which I’ve loved since I was a kid when I’d climb them and hurl sticks up into them in September to harvest the conkers. Continuing on the spring theme I found this exploded cluster of leaf and flower shoots over a path in the middle of Histon and it seemed to sum up the excitement of heading into the summer sunshine months.
Posted in Trees, Walks around Cambridge and Histon
A walk along a hedgerow can be a particulalry rewarding experience just now. The trees are all in leaf and horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) trees are in bloom and hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is puntuating the hedgerows with gorgeous stretches of white flowers,
Willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) beautifully fremed by hawthorn blossom on a sunny day in April
Wildflowers are also in bloom, and lining my walk routes this month are cowslips (Primula veris):
…and white deadnettle (Lamium album)
The cowslip, a member of the Primula family which includes primrose and oxlip, are not as common as they used to be but occasionally a roadside verge or a bank or edge of a ditch will be swathed in yellow from their flowers. The cowslip could be confused with the similar oxlip but the flowers of the oxlip are more pale and more open, like those of a primrose. Until recent times it was used to make wine and the garlands on Maypoles, and has been used medicinally to treat headaches, whooping cough and as a diuretic and expectorant.
Conversely, white deadnettle is much more common and can be found lining field edges, road verges and hedgerows. It flowers from March to December and the nectar is at the back of the flower so can only be fed on by larger insects such as bumble bees which can open up the flower to get to the nectar. It is known as a ‘deadnettle’ because its leaves resemble the stinging nettle but it can’t sting because it doesn’t have the stinging hairs. It is easily distinguished from the stinger by its flowers which are white or pink compared to the stinging nettle flowers which are small and green. It has historically been used in herbal remedies for catarrh and the young leaves and flowers can be eaten as a vegetable.
Many other flowers are blooming now such as the common-or-garden buttercup (Ranunclus acris), daisy (Bellis perennis) and dandelion (Taraxacum offficinale):
Dandelion flower, named from the French for ‘lions tooth’ – Dent de lion
Dandelion flowers heads are made up of many smaller florets and are open in the daytime but close up at night. The leaves have been used in salads in many countries either raw or blanched in boiling water to remove any bitter flavour, and the roots can be roasted and ground into a coffee-type drink. It has been used as a traditional remedy for urinary tract infections and as a diuretic.
A dandelion seedhead – a masterpice of natural architecture!
Cow parsley mallow and other wild flowers will all b e in full bloom on the near future and the flies and butterflies that depend on them will also be out and about.
Posted in Birds, Flora and fungi, Trees, Wild flowers
Tagged Aesculus hippocastanum, Bellis perennis, buttercup, Crataegus monogyna, cwslip, daisy, dandelion, hawthorn, herbal remedy, horse chestnut, Lamium album, oxlip, Phylloscopus trochilus, primrose, Primula, Primula veris, Ranunculus acris, Taraxacum officinale, trees, UK flora, white deadnettle, wild flowers, willow warbler
This is apparently what we are all guilty of if we oppose the sell-off of our forests to private investors, according to our Environment minister, Mrs Spellman. She is claiming that scare stories are being circulated such as the New Forest is to be made into a golf course and that is why we oppose the sell-off.
I don’t agree with her. The track record of this and previous administrations regarding the disposal of our national assets into the hands of people who have no right to own them has been nothing short of despicable, and has made me deeply cynical of any political claims that moves such as this are in the public interest.
It’s difficult to imagine how guarantees of public access or indeed any other guarantees will be, or can be, enforced in 10, 20 or 30 years time, regardless of promises made now. And the notion that millions of wonderful trees like the enormous horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) below, which have taken hundreds of years to evolve into mini ecosystems in their own right, will end up pulped to be made into loo paper, or even worse, The Daily Mail, is one I find profoundly upsetting
I fear we’ll lose many views like this if the forests go. What a magnificent tree!
There was mixed news on the sell-off today. The BBC were reporting that government sources had told the Politics show the plan was to be largely watered down or possibly even dropped, which is very good news if it is true. But on the other hand, the Daily Telegraph were reporting that many environmental charities will be unable to provide the financial guarantees required by the Government within the 28 day timeframe necessary to enable purchase of the forest.
This beatiful creature, a goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis), needs the trees…
…and this one too, a waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus), especially after a long and dangerous flight from north Norway
I’ve seen a document from the Forestry Commision in which the financial value of all the woodland in the east of England has been assessed. Whilst it’s depressing that everything has to be reduced to a figure on a balance sheet in order that anyone with any influence will take notice, there are some big numbers quoted which will hopefully help people to realise the true worth of our forests to the country. Fingers crossed.
Whilst I think there are significant chunks of Forestry Commission land which have been mismanaged I think it is better that they are managing the forests for the general good. And after the current, very public, debate, if the forests are saved I hope it paves the way for more constructive dialogue on how best to maintain the forests for the benefit of all organisms that require them.
Addendum 09/02/2011
On a global level regarding forests, some good news. Golden Agri-Resources, the worlds second largest palm oil producer has teamed up with The Forest Trust, a worldwide forest conservation organisation, to work together to find ways to prevent rainforest destruction in Indonesia. It sounds like a long uphill struggle but at least global agri-business and environmental organisations appear to be working constructively together. Long may it last.
Posted in Campaigns
Tagged Aesculus hippocastanum, BBC, biodiversity, Bombycilla garrulus, campaign, Carduelis carduelis, conservation, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, forest, Forestry Commission, Golden Agri-Resources, goldfinch, Government, horse chestnut, Indonesia, Nature, palm oil, rainforest, sell-off, The Forest Trust, waxwing
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