Golden days before they end

Lime or linden tree (Tilia) outside Suffolk House in Cardiff

There are now more autumn leaves on the ground than on the trees here in the Canton area of Cardiff, South Wales. But I thought I should pay tribute to one of my favourite local trees, which may still be under threat from a housing development. So this could be the last time I see its golden glory.

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2020 tree following 11: Autumn colour at last

Red, gold and green leaves of Parrotia persica on November 3

Much has been said about the lovely autumn foliage colour of the Persian ironwood (Parrotia persica) and at last the moment has arrived for the small tree in my garden.

I have been following it ever since the Covid-19 pandemic began in March, when I started working from home and could no longer visit the Turkish hazel (Corylus colurna) near my office in Cardiff Bay, with which I started the tree-following year.

Now I can see the golden leaves of the Parrotia from my study window as I look up from my desk…

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Tree following link box for November 2020

Maple leaves enhanced by PhotoShop…

The tree-following link box has closed for another month.

Here in South Wales we have had our first sunny and slightly frosty spell of the autumn – just in time for Bonfire Night. It was welcome after so many weeks of rain, although with the Covid-19 lockdown there wasn’t much in the way of communal fireworks.

Any tree-related post is acceptable in these lock-down times and everyone has found something interesting to say. You will find everyone’s updates below – enjoy exploring…

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

Alison at the Blackberry Garden – quince – when your plans start to crumble…

Pat – Squirrelbasket – Cardiff, Wales – Persian ironwood – autumn colour at last

Erika Groth in Sweden – possibly Salix fragilis

Hollis – In the Company of Plants and Rocks – Laramie, Wyoming – chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) in LaBonte Park

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

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

Thanks so much to everyone who contributed in November. 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 December…

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Meeting old friends in Thompson’s Park

Beech trees in Thompson’s Park, with Romilly Road beyond the park railings

Firstly, my apologies for being slightly inactive on the blog recently and not responding to comments in a timely manner.

I remain very busy working full-time from home and caring for my husband – still in agony and immobile as he waits for the urgent hip replacement operation cancelled in March thanks to the first Covid-19 lockdown.

And to top it all I have fallen out of love with WordPress and its new Block Editor, which I can’t get to work even if I use a different browser as recommended by one of the WordPress experts. I also couldn’t work out how to continue using Classic Editor until Mike Rogers (of Flighty’s Plot) kindly pointed out a little arrow in the admin panel that I hadn’t noticed. Thanks so much!

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