Tree following 1: Life’s a beech (or is it?)…
March 6, 2014 by squirrelbasket
The tree I intend to follow – which I think might be a beech…
There you go, I’ve revealed what species I think it is – the tree I intend to follow. I believe it to be a European beech, Latin name Fagus sylvaticus (meaning “beech of the forest”). Although of course I could be wrong!
I told how I found this tree in Llandaff Fields, Cardiff, in my last blog post, “First find your tree“.
So here I will mainly just show you photographs (lots) of how it looked on the morning of Tuesday, February 25, 2014…
First view of “my” tree…
The top twigs of the tree are reddish brown…
It has some very delicate branches…
…which get thicker as they near the trunk…
From this direction the tree looks a bit lopsided
A different angle makes the tree look wider…
The tree has been much trimmed over the years by the parks department, to stop it toppling, I assume…
You can see the saw marks on the stump on the right…
If you look closely you can see the leaf buds breaking…
The buds are very slender – do you think they are beech?
The fallen leaves around the tree, from last year, SEEMED to be beech…
What attracted me first about this tree was what was growing on its bark, as I love mosses and lichens…
The trunk is split in places…
The tree’s weathered trunk…
Another view of the trunk…
But let’s get up close and personal…
Lichen…
A closer look…
A branching lichen, perhaps Ramalina siliquosa?
This lichen has a maroon underside, if you look closely, so does that make it Platismatia glauca?
Then there’s the moss on the trunk…
The moss on the “far” side of the trunk (north?) is very dry and messy…
The tree’s roots are in a bit of a twist…
Around the tree, among the grass in the red muddy soil are some wildflowers…
Cow parsley (?) grows under the tree…
Are these arrow-shaped leaves cuckoo pints (Arum maculatum)? Or that other plant I always mistake for Arum until it flowers?
The tree casts a long shadow in the early morning sun…
And in summer, if the tree and I survive, I will be able to sit in its shade on this convenient park bench…
So there you have it, my beech tree (possibly)…
I would be happy for anyone to correct me, or to identify the mosses, lichens and wild flowers mentioned!
Best wishes to all Loose & Leafy’s tree followers.
You might like this Pat! http://www.thegoddesstree.com/trees/Beech.htm
Oh wow! So much I never knew! I’ll have to feed some of that into my notes. It’s amazing that it’s “the tree of learning” and the tree of “the whole year round”… just hope it IS a beech now!
All the best 🙂
That’s a wonderful tree to follow, beech trees are so special.
Sarah x
Yes, they do seem to be! And they aren’t something I had a special attachment to until now. Even though there is a copper beech at my regular bus stop…
All the best 🙂
I love your beech – if not for ‘following a tree’ it would just have been another tree now we see it through different eyes. Looking forward to see its progress through the year
Thanks Elaine. Yes, suddenly it does become rather important. I just hope it survives OK and I haven’t put any bad luck on it! I love it already.
Best wishes 🙂
It’s an incredible tree – a giant fan! You have such lovely lichens too. We don’t seem to have feathery or fluffy ones round here.
I guess we are rather wet here, hence the lichens. I have no idea how old the tree must be.
What I can’t yet fathom is how the tree looks different from every angle. Looking back at my pictures I could hardly believe they were all of the same tree…
Best wishes – and I look forward to seeing more of your pine 🙂
really interesting posts Pat, especially the life on the bark, it’s like a small world, sorry can’t name anything for you, Frances
Thank you for stopping by – I’ve just been over to your blog to see your grey alder – a new one on me. You learn something new every day, don’t you?
All the best 🙂
I’m looking forward to reading about your beech tree as you follow it through the year. It looks like a gorgeous big tree.
Thank you for the kind comments – yes, it is a whopper!
I see you have chosen an amazing honeysuckle tree – I have only ever seen those as climbers on a fence.
Best wishes – I will follow with interest 🙂
That’s a magnificent and majestic tree, you picked a lovely one to follow. My tree is just a baby still so I will have to wait years if not decades for moss, lichen and twisted tree rots 🙂
Oh, I see you have found a beautiful “baby” magnolia. I look forward to seeing that grow up into magnificence!
All the best 🙂
What a magnificent tree, and so much interest around and about too, great pick! Love the lichens, I’m a fan myself. I shall enjoy getting to know your “beech”.
And I will enjoy following your hawthorn 🙂
Glad you know what type of tree yours is. I’ve still yet to identify mine. Bit last minute to John the party but will be catching up soon.
I see the day after you posted that comment you decided your tree is probably an ash. Could be!
I look forward to watching it flourish 🙂
Yep! I think it is!
I love Beech trees, especially in spring with their new leaves such a delicate green. You certainly know your lichens. They are gorgeous.
Actually I don’t know my lichens, but I am trying to learn! I have watched them all my life and still can’t identify many individual species.
As for beech leaves in Spring, yes, they are my favourite – and I am trying to hold myself back from going to visit “my” tree so soon after my first visit, but I don’t want to miss those lovely leaves and they were already just breaking from their buds last time…
Good luck with your VERY old mulberry tree! I’m just going over there to comment.
All the best 🙂
I enjoyed reading this post and look forward to seeing more of your very fine tree!
Love your hawthorn, too!
All the best 🙂
the growth form is impressive! Do beeches typically grow this way — such nicely arranged branches?
It didn’t look that usual to me, as beech trees go. I think it has had many branches cut back over the years, making the regrowth thinner and in more of a fan shape. Usually beeches are just tall and magnificent with thick, smooth trunks and branches reaching up in perfect proportion…
I look forward to seeing more of your cottonwood, too.
best wishes 🙂
I am looking forward to following all these trees and learning more about them
Thank you – I look forward to seeing more of your silver maple (and the wildlife), too!