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.
Healthy-looking green leaves
That’s my very pale thumb – on one curled leaf I found this insect…
…another view – slightly unfocused – I think it may be a mirid bug,
Campyloneura virgula
This is the leaf where I found the insect – and you can see there is another tiny inhabitant…
…enlarged – I wonder if this was about to be eaten by the mirid bug, which lives among trees and is predatory on tiny insects
The butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii) on the slope in front of the tree attracts the bees
A couple of yards away a pellucid hover fly (Volucella pellucens) perched on a Hebe
Some more red-edged ironwood leaves
Leaves and branches
The bark looks hard and smooth apart from little knobbly bits
A bud?
Mature fruit/seeds…
…a closer look
Thin, tangled strands were hanging from a branch…
…a closer look – they were attached quite firmly to the branch but I don’t know if they belong to the tree or were just attached like vines
All in all I was delighted to find so much of interest in my tree this month – I wonder what August will bring?
The Squirrelbasket 
Glad to read your ironwood is surviving and thriving under the sycamore, and with lots of interest, could the tangled strands but arial roots, just a wild guess. Frances
That would be a good guess, although I can’t find any reference to such things specifically on Parrotia – but then there isn’t much info around about Parrotia at all…
Thank you for commenting 🙂
What a really interesting tree. The colours are so subtle; the purplish fruits, and the pink and green leaves are so pretty. Holly trees get those bumps on their bark too, I wonder if they are galls from an insect or just how it grows?
Thanks for commenting. I will have to investigate the “bumps” for next time!
All the best 🙂