Victoria Park in the pandemic summer

Billy the Seal, a Cardiff character who lived in the pond in Victoria Park’s zoo from 1914 until 1939, when he died and it was discovered he was a she…

Somehow I have been so very busy during my four months working from home that I have had trouble keeping up with my blogging. I have also totally abandoned my initial idea of visiting a different Cardiff park every week. Here I am eventually sharing my pictures from Victoria Park, although I took them in late June.

I managed to clock up 5,500 “steps” walking to the park and back, so hopefully that will give you an idea of how close to home it is. For all that, I have only ever visited it twice before, and then only passing through without a camera.

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Unearthed – a love of potatoes

Charlotte potatoes reveal themselves

Many people have turned to a spot of gardening during the lockdown and I must admit that I just happened to have ordered some patio tubs and a potato growing kit long before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. As a child I had helped grow potatoes in the garden but never in containers. Here are some images of the results of my efforts…

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2020 tree following 7: Parrotia in July

Leaves of Persian ironwood (Parrotia persica) in early July

Well, it’s week 17 of my Covid-19 lockdown here in Cardiff and I’m still happily working from home and not going out much – although I have managed to arrange a much-overdue haircut for next week!

I was concerned that the Persian ironwood (Parrotia persica) I have discovered in my back garden would struggle as it is so overshadowed by a big sycamore, but on the latest inspection it seems to be doing fine.

Here are some pictures of my discoveries in the last few days.

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Tree following link box for July 2020

Lime tree (Tilia) flowers and developing fruits in Cardiff’s Victoria Park in late June

The tree-following link box has closed for another month. And summer has well and truly arrived.

Here in South Wales we have had rain for a week or two now as well as hot sunshine and the Covid-19 lockdown continues, while in England and some other parts of the world the stay-at-home measures are easing.

Any tree-related post is acceptable in these lock-down times and everyone has found something interesting to say, whether about their usual trees or others if they are unable to visit their first choice.

You will find everyone’s updates below, so enjoy exploring…

Crafty Green Poet – Juliet in Edinburgh, Scotland – horse chestnut

Flighty’s Plot – Liz’s white oak in Lexington, Kentucky, and Mike’s plum tree

Alison at the Blackberry Garden – quince – the quince count continues

Food For Thought – Sherrie in Indiana – maple and lots of other interesting stuff

Erika Groth in Sweden – possibly Salix fragilis

Frances at Island Threads, off the North West coast of Scotland – Populus tremula and Acer platinoides (Norway maple) in the garden

Hollis – In the Company of Plants and Rocks – Laramie, Wyoming – all about fir broom rust

JayP – Amblings around Penwith (Cornwall) – Cornus kousa

Pat – Squirrelbasket – Cardiff, Wales – Persian ironwood in summer

If you are new to tree following, read all about the idea here.

Thanks so much to everyone who contributed in July. Why not join us next time? Just point us to any tree-related post you would like to share, using the link box published on the 7th of each month and lasting for a week. Although we all try to publish our tree followings every month, we are very forgiving if you post less often.

See you in August…

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News from the world of trees 2020 #6

Here is another monthly round-up of tree news articles from around the world. Click on each of the pictures if you would like to read the full stories.

Two-acre cashew tree looks like a mini forest

The largest cashew-nut tree in the world is featured in the Mail Online…

Big cats love climbing trees

Researcher Alexander Braczkowski spent a year monitoring and filming tree lions in the Queen Elizabeth conservation area in Uganda – the drone video is on the Guardian website…

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