A casualty of Storm Doris

A big branch was stripped from this horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) in Llandaff Fields, Cardiff, in late February

It must be the time of year – in February 2016 Storm Imogen felled a couple of trees in Thompson’s Park, Cardiff (see my blog post here), and this time Storm Doris brought the strong winds – although luckily we did not have it as bad here in South Wales as those in the north of the country.

However, we did have some small tree losses and this horse chestnut in Llandaff Fields lost a big bough.

Chestnut avenue in Llandaff Fields – the damaged tree is in the middle, in the distance, and the small spire on the right is Llandaff Cathedral

The avenue of horse chestnuts in Llandaff Fields, not far to the north of Cardiff’s city centre, is a landmark, although I don’t know how old the trees are – certainly they are mature.

Getting nearer to the tree

Sadly some are slowly dying from bleeding canker, like a smaller chestnut tree I found in another part of the fields a couple of years ago (Felling of the winter tree). Hopefully this specimen will last a little longer, but with a nasty scar…

We had seen council workmen tidying up the mess and cutting up the long branch the day after Storm Doris

An impressive scar – angular because chestnut trunks and branches are so sinewy

Neat logs

Attractive, cracked, moss-green bark

The broken end of the bough

Who would have thought the wood could be such a lovely, creamy white?

That’s it for now, nothing else to see here…