A tiny face looking out from the bark of the Lombardy poplar (Populus nigra ‘Italica’) in Victoria Park, Cardiff
The weather continues to be changeable in South Wales in early September. For a few days it was so dry with an easterly wind that I thought I would have to water the garden. Then the weather broke – luckily with no thunderstorms here but heavy rain.
This was just at the time I needed to visit the Lombardy poplar (Populus nigra ‘Italica’) in Cardiff’s Victoria Park, so I delayed going until it cleared up on Sunday, a day I normally stay at home.
The poplar still looks very fresh, with none of the tiredness you might expect towards the end of summer.
Here are my pictures…
The poplar from outside the park railings
Leaves
Looking up
The captive sycamore…
…which has tar spot fungus (Rhytisma acerinum) – some believe it is a sign of unpolluted air
The base of the tree inside the park railings
It has been strong enough to bend this railing with its growth over the decades…
…the bark is hardly damaged
The middle of the poplar
The towering top of the poplar
A piece of moss caught in an old cobweb
The tiny man in a hood pictured at the top of this post
Maple seeds caught in a dip in the bark
Dappled shade
Branches
Healthy, shiny leaves
That’s it for another month – no sign of autumn yet.
You can find my previous Lombardy poplar postings here…
See you again in October…
The Squirrelbasket 
Good post and pictures. As you say the leaves are still looking really fresh, which is surprising for this time of year. xx
Thanks. I wonder if October will bring any autumn leaves…
Best wishes 🙂
Great details, I love the man in the hood. It’s interesting that it still looks so fresh – one near me has dropped loads of leaves already.
Thanks for putting a name to Tar fungus spot for me. I’ll see if I can remember the Latin name to impress any unfortunate passers by!
I expect the roots go deep for this big old tree so when we do have a dry spell it can tap the ground water lower down. Just guessing…
That tar fungus always reminds me of black spot on roses, which is not such a good thing. I must see if they are related…
All the best 🙂
I’m really glad I found your blog. The little fellow in his hood is a lovely observation. Thank you. Bob
Thanks. I must take time to read some of your interesting posts…
Best wishes 🙂
It’s great the way a tree will simply grow around and over an obstacle like the railing! I’ve occasionally seen trees do that with rocks, sometimes big ones.
In your part of the world I can really imagine that!
Best wishes 🙂
That “man in the hood” reminds me of the legendary paintings of trolls by Swedish painter John Bauer.
I must look up more of his work – he reminds me a bit of Sulamith Wulfing…
Here is Bauer’s amusing The Princess and Her Troll Suitors… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_Bauer_1915.jpg
Thanks for pointing me in the direction of something new!
All the best 🙂