The London plane tree (Platanus × hispanica or Platanus × acerifolia) I am following this year in Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay
Although it is early spring here in Cardiff I hadn’t noticed any development in my London plane tree since the winter. I see it a couple of times a week when I walk over to the shops for a lunchtime sandwich but only occasionally do I make the effort to take my camera and draw attention to myself in this busy street.
The tree may be quiet but there is a lot of infrastructure work going on around it – these iPhone pictures from this week show a drainage vehicle doing something or other (as I now work in the council highways department I should know what they were doing, but they just seemed to be cleaning down the paving of the street when I saw them).
Drainage team at work…
…a closer look at the truck
I had done my “proper” monthly visit on March 4 and the rest of the pictures are from that day…
A jumble of branches
Last year’s seed balls
A closer look at the buds…
…showing just a hint of green when you zoom in
Another general view of the street
The now defunct Gourmet Guru shack still stands
As I stood looking for a new angle I was drawn away by a pied wagtail (Motacilla alba) on the pavement. They are so cute and lively as they bob their tails and run along. I had great trouble catching a half decent picture…
Pied wagtail on the move
I followed it around the corner into the plaza in front of the Wales Millennium Centre before I had a shot I was almost happy with…
A pied wagtail and a puddle
I’m sure there will always be something going on around this plane tree – I wonder if the leaves will be out by my next monthly visit in April?
The Squirrelbasket 
Nice to see the plump greenish buds! They definitely qualify as something to see … this time of year 🙂
And I almost missed them – I was taking the pictures blind with such a sunny sky behind the twigs…
Best wishes 🙂
I once saw a Pied Wagtail without a tail! The poor little thing looked so very odd. I hope that it eventually grew new tail feathers.
Oh dear, that’s hard to imagine! It seems such an essential aid to balance…
Best wishes 🙂
I wonder how the tree feels being surrounded by all that human infrastructure. It’s good to pay attention to these lonely town / city centre trees and I will say ‘hi’ to two similar trees in Shrewsbury at the top of Pride Hill next time I am passing by.
I do appreciate street trees, but many of our older ones are wrecking the pavements – it’s as if the people planting them didn’t realise how big they would grow.
I guess this plane must have been planted at the same time as Mermaid Quay itself – which was maybe 20 years ago. Seems bigger and older than that, though.
I enjoyed your selection of border trees this month 🙂
Looks like those buds are about to burst open to release the new leaves. A bit of spring feeling.
Hope so!
I will keep watching…
Best wishes for the end of your spring-winter and the start of spring itself 🙂