A tree felled by Storm Imogen in Thompson’s Park, Cardiff, last week
I still have so many happy images to share of Thompson’s Park in Cardiff, but when I visited last week, on the day after Storm Imogen, the tree damage claimed my attention instead. I know many people have pooh-poohed the new UK and Ireland Met Office system of naming the Atlantic storms of the autumn and winter alphabetically, but it does at least give a point of reference and stop the storms merging into one. Imogen was the ninth storm since November.
I had gone to the park to see if any branches were down, but I hadn’t expected to find quite so much damage. I knew something was up as I looked through the railings of the park and saw a cordon of red and white tape. And I guessed immediately which tree had fallen. It was one I had pictured covered in orange fungi at the end of January (see here).
It was already leaning…
The ill-fated tree on January 8
The tree on February 3
By the buds and the dead leaves around I had assumed it was a horse chestnut…
…now the tree is no more
Another view
Many of the old branches are shattered
Mashed fungi – I had thought these were some sort of oyster mushrooms…
…and I had thought these, now rotting, were sulphur-tuft fungi
I had considered choosing this tree as one to follow for the year, but I suppose I guessed it wasn’t long for this world, so it’s just as well I didn’t.
In the top field of the park there were some branches down, and I found that this small one merited inspection…
I thought this was fungus on a conifer branch but Annie suggests it is just the bottom of a cone with a few seeds attached – and I think she is right
This is the cedar the branch was torn from
A cone on the same branch
A bigger piece of the broken cone that looks like fungus
But at the far side of the field a big conifer had fallen. This one was quite close to houses and by the refreshing smell all around I think it was a pine.
Fallen pine in Thompson’s Park
The top of the fallen tree
A closer look at the roots
This was the group of pines pictured a few days earlier, so I think the fallen tree is one of those to the left
I know it’s natural for trees to grow old and die, but I still feel sad when one is claimed by strong winds – these gusts were apparently around 90 miles an hour or stronger.
The Squirrelbasket 
It’s so sad when old growth trees are blown to the ground by a wind storm. They take so many many years to mature at an age of beauty on earth. I hope other trees in the park have strong roots to enable them be stable during the next wind storm.
Thanks for your kind thoughts – it wouldn’t be so bad if more trees were being planted to replace them.
All the best 🙂
I find it sad too Pat, I’m glad no one was hurt, depending what they do with the wood from the fallen trees, it can provide valuable wildlife habitats, Frances
Yes, certainly in Bute Park, which is much bigger, fallen trees have been left to develop their own little habitats.
All the best 🙂
Nice tribute to these old trees, Pat.
I do wonder whether your fungus on the conifer branch isn’t, in fact, the inside of one of those huge fat cones, with just a couple of its seeds still attached. The only reason I think that is that I saw something very similar in Bute Park on the weekend, picked up thinking it was fungi and discovered it was the cone. Just a thought. 🙂
A-ha! Yes, I think you are right. That would explain the pointy bit in the middle, which must be the core of the cone?
Silly me!
All the best 🙂
I was fooled when I saw one the other day, as well. 🙂
Gusts to 90 mph, wow! I will quit whining about our winds today … gusts only to 61 mph 😉
And I always thought America did things bigger!
All the best 🙂
Will more of this kind of damage occur as we experience the effects of climate change??
I get that impression…
It’s always sad to see old trees laid low, especially if they appeared to be healthy. Let’s hope they do get replaced.
Not sure that’s going to happen…
All the best 🙂