London Plane (Platanus × acerifolia) leaves in autumn
Most of the introductory words below are from Lucy Corrander, who hosted tree following on her Loose and Leafy blog for a couple of years. She asked me to take over in late 2015, but as I couldn’t put it better myself, this is what she says it’s all about…
Each year, we choose a tree and see what it does:
# when its leaves appear and when they fall
# which twigs grow and which fall off
# if it has seeds
# and if any germinate and grow into new trees
# what its bark looks like – when it’s wet and when it’s dry
# whether anything grows on it – like lichen and moss
# whether creatures sit on – insects, birds, butterflies
# what plants grow round it and what they do, too
And we invite others to join us – to choose a tree and to “follow” it.
There will be a linky box on the 7th of every month where you will be able to leave links to your tree following posts. Each box will stay open for one week. That way we will be able to keep roughly in time with each other and compare the progress of “our” trees through the year.
The box will open (as near as I can make it) at 7am UK Time.
Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) in spring
If you don’t know what “your” tree is, that’s fine. You can still follow “the unknown tree” – and maybe sometime through the year you’ll find out – maybe someone will be able to help you with the ID.
If you don’t have a blog but would like to join in all the same you can send a couple of pictures and brief observations and I will publish them as well. Email me on squirrelbasket@gmail.com. I am also squirrelbasket on Twitter and you are encouraged to use the hashtag #treefollowing if you Tweet.
If you would like to use a tree-following image, you can go back to the original and make up your own design… http://tinyurl.com/qaesqpb
Or feel free to use one that has already been made, like these…
Tree-following logos by Lucy, Hollis, and me
Start following a tree whenever you like. Some people follow from January to December, some from March to February. And in the southern hemisphere it might be logical to start in June or September.
Lower down this page are links to previous months of tree following, but first here are all the people who have been following a tree and links to their websites, which are well worth a look.
I do hope you will decide to join us!
CURRENT OR RECENT TREE FOLLOWERS
Amy followed a Parkinsonia in the Sonoran Desert
A Small Sunny Garden – Amy (Sonoran Desert, USA) – for 2017 it’s an Arizona rosewood, Vauquelinia californica and previously she followed a Blue Palo Verde, Parkinsonia florida and a grapefruit tree
Erika Groth – Erika (Sweden) – Rowan, Sorbus aucuparia (2017), Silver Birch, Betula pendula (2016), Maple (2015) and Apple, Malus domestica, growing in the wild (2014)
Island Threads – Frances (Isle of Lewis, NW Scotland) Rowan, Sorbus aucuparia (2017), Downy birch, Betulus pubescens (2016), Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta (2015) and Grey Alder (2014)
The Blackberry Garden – Alison (Leicestershire, England) – Quince
Flighty’s Plot – Mike (London, England) – in 2015 Mike followed a Fig, in 2016 a young Oak tree and in 2017 it’s a Dogwood, Cornus
Liz in Lexington (Kentucky, USA) posted in 2015 about her Japanese Stewartia, Stewartia pseudocamellia on Flighty’s Plot – thanks to Mike Rogers – in 2016 she followed a Serviceberry tree, Amelanchier, and in 2017 hopes it will be a Tulip Poplar, Liriodendron tulipifera
Hollis chased Willows in Wyoming
In the Company of Rocks and Plants – Hollis (Wyoming, USA) – focusing on fossil palms in 2017, she looked for a Juneberry (Amelanchier) in 2016. In 2015 Hollis followed a Willow and in 2014 a Cottonwood (Poplar)
‘t Groentje – Tineke (Netherlands) – Willow
The Cynical Gardener – June (Leicestershire) – Apple (Malus domestica ‘James Grieve’)
Jean’s Garden – Jean (Maine, USA) – Red Maple, Acer rubrum in 2015, a native cherry (Prunus pensylvanica) in 2016
Paradise Regained – Karen Gimson (central England) – old Oak
In My Playroom – Eileen (Wiltshire) – Judas Tree (Cercis siliquastrum)
Earthstar – Annie (a New Zealander in Cardiff, Wales) – Dawn Redwood
Angie followed a Sorbus ‘Autumn Spire’ in 2015
Angie’s Garden Diaries – Angie (Edinburgh, Scotland) – in 2016 Angie began by following a young Betula ‘Crimson Frost’ in her garden but has now ventured farther afield and chosen an as-yet unidentified tree beside a riverbank. In 2015 she followed a Rowan, Sorbus ‘Autumn Spire’
Wild and Wonderful – Caroline (Suffolk, England) – Silver Birch, Betulus pendula, and Box Elder or Box-Leaf Maple, Acer negundo
Our Garden@19 – Brian (Worcestershire, England) – for 2016 the tree was an apple, Malus domestica ‘Worcester Pearmain’. In 2015 Brian followed Acer negundo ‘Flamingo’
Leaf Encounter – Maria – Sycamore, Acer pseudoplatanus
Tina followed a Retama
My Gardener Says… – Tina Huckabee (Texas, USA) – in November 2015 Tina chose an American Sycamore, Platanus occidentalis, after following a Retama, Parkinsonia aculeata, for a year
Plant Postings – Beth (Wisconsin, USA) – Shagbark Hickories, Carya ovata (2014) and for 2016 a mystery Buckeye
Flowers of the Empress Tree or Foxglove Tree (Paulownia tomentosa)
The Squirrelbasket – Pat English (Cardiff, Wales) – Hornbeam, Carpinus betulus in 2014, Empress Tree, Paulownia tomentosa in 2015, Oak, Quercus robur in 2016, 100 disease-resistant Elms, Ulmus ‘New Horizon’ in 2017, small-leaved Linden, Tilia cordata in 2018, London Plane, Platanus × hispanica or Platanus × acerifolia in 2019.
Lucy Corrander got up close and personal with her Monterey Pine in Dorset
Loose and Leafy – Lucy Corrander (Dorset, England) – Monterey Pine (2014) and Sycamore (2015)
FOLLOWERS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS
Lovely lichen from Janet, who thought she was following an Alder in 2015 – but it turned out to be an Ash…
Plantaliscious – Janet (Anglesey, Wales) – in 2015 it was an Ash and in 2016 started to look at an ornamental Cherry tree, but she had ME, and we have lost touch
Down By the Sea – Sarah (Dorset, England) – Apple
Notes of Nature – Tim (Wiltshire, England) – various trees
Ramblings from Rosebank – Elaine – (Leicestershire, England) – Ornamental Cherry
Esther’s Garden Notes and Photos – Esther (Dorset, England) – Espaliered Apple
Countryside Tales (Hampshire, England) – Oak, probably Quercus robur
The Blooming Garden – Chloris (Suffolk, England) – Horse Chestnut, Aesculus hippocastrum (2015) and Mulberry (2014)
The Little House in the Not So Big Woods – Joy (North Central Texas, USA) – Cedar Elm
Gardening Ways – Gary Webb (Warwickshire, England) – Cedar of Lebanon
LeavesnBloom – Rosie (Perthshire, Scotland) – Silver Pear
The Forget-Me-Not Cultivation Blog – Sophie (Lincolnshire, England) – Eucalyptus gunii
Alder & Ash – Lucy (Suffolk, England) – Common Alder, Alnus glutinosa
Gardens Eye View – Donna (Central New York State, USA) – American Linden, Tilia americana
A Year of Two Trees and Pencil and Leaf – Val (Cambridgeshire, England) – Wild Cherry, Prunus avium
Hoe, Hoe, Grow – Jane (Lincolnshire, England) – Fig, Ficus carica ‘Brown Turkey’
An Urban Veg Patch – Caro (London, England) – fruit trees
The Wilder Garden – Julian (Pembrokeshire, Wales) – Oak
Duncan’s Wild Garden – Duncan (Renfrewshire, Scotland) – Sycamore
Linda’s Wildlife Garden – Linda (Norfolk) – Buddleia and Apple
Off the Edge Gardening – Gill (Devon, England) – European Larch, Larix decidua
Laura followed Lindens in London
Tell Tale Therapy – Laura (London, England) – Linden, Tilia
Welsh Hills Again – Elizabeth (Clwyd, Wales) – Rowan
It’s Not Work, It’s Gardening – Alan (Missouri, USA) – Bald Cypress, Taxodium distichum
La Fosse – The House on the Hill – Carole (Normandy, France) – Sweet Chestnut, Castanea sativa
Graphicality-UK – Helene (London, England) – Magnolia soulangeana ‘Heaven Scent’
Where Beechmast Falls – Dartford Warbler (Hampshire, England) – Crab Apple, Malus domestica ‘John Downie’
Veg Plotting – VP (Gloucestershire) – Fallen Ash Tree
Gardens at Waters East – Jack (Wisconsin, USA) – Scots Pine
Busy Bee’s Garden – Em (Dorset, England) – Grandmother’s Tree, Prunus padus ‘Grandiflora’
Adventures in Natural Bee Keeping – Pat (Oregon, USA) – River Birch, Betula nigra
The Orchard Year (Cambridgeshire, England) – Bramley Apple Tree
What’s Wild in Cornwall – Amanda (Cornwall, England) – Hawthorn
Crafty Gardener – Linda (Ontario, Canada) – Large Honeysuckle
Hello Nature – Kimberley (Nottinghamshire, England) – Oak
Sophia’s Blog – Sophia (Dorset, England) – Apple
The Reremouse – Morgan – (West Midlands, England) – various trees
A Whole Plot of Love – Joanne (Flintshire, Wales) – Greengage
Glen Villa: Site and Insight – Pat (Eastern Townships, Quebec) – Basswood or Linden, Tilia americana.
The Violet Fern – Kathy (New York State, USA) Tulip Tree, Liriodendron tulipifera
Stitching and Blooms – Judy (Michigan, USA) – Kousa Dogwood
Rambling Woods – Michelle (New York State) – Silver Maple, Acer saccharinum
Green Tapestry – Anna (Cheshire, England) – Pear ‘Doyenne du Comice’
Spokes and Petals – Jenny (Massachusetts, USA) – various trees
Green Lizard’s Blog – Liz (Zuid Holland, Netherlands) – Ash
Eileen loved the bark of her Silver Birch
In My Playroom – Eileen – Silver Birch
Winkos: A Straw Bale Building Project in Poland – Eddy and Gosia (Podkarpacie, Poland) – Beech
Allotment in My Garden – Cathy (Worcestershire, England) – Crab Apple
Hort’curious – Ena (Ireland) – various trees
My Aberdeen Garden – Annette (Aberdeen, Scotland) – Copper Beech
Evening Person – Richard – Cherry and Hawthorn
Crafty Green Poet – Juliet (Edinburgh, Scotland) – European Larch
How to Garden in Colorado – Dawn (Colorado, USA) – Purple Leaf Plum, Prunus caresifera
Beangenie – Kate (Gwynedd, Wales) – Hawthorn
As Long as You Have a Garden – Susan (British Columbia, Canada) – Cox’s Orange Pippin Apple
Duver Diary – Jenny (Isle of Wight, Hampshire, England) – Oak
Red Dirt Ramblings – Dee (Oklahoma, USA) – Southern Magnolia
Floriferous – Nicky (County Durham, England) – Cox’s Orange Pippin Apple
Of Gardens – Amy (Massachusetts, USA) – Scarlet Oak
Natalie followed a Copper Beech in Mid Wales
Slate Grey, Lime and Hay – Natalie (Powys, Wales) – Copper Beech
Christ Church, Welshpool – Natalie (Powys, Wales) – Oak
Joanna Dobson – Joanna (South Yorkshire, England) – Silver Birch
Ground to Ground – Shane (Melbourne, Australia) – Tamarillo (2014)
A Garden Notebook – Suzie (Nottinghamshire, England) – Sorbus ‘Pink Pagoda’
Frugal in Suffolk – Susan (Suffolk, England) – Pink Horse Chestnut
Everyday Life – Lyn (West Yorkshire, England) – Horse Chestnut (2014)
Discovering the Coppice – Lee (Norfolk, England) – European Hazel, Corylus avellana
Diary of a Suburban Gardener – Sue (Melbourne, Australia) – Prickly-Leaf Paperbark, Melaceuca styphelioides
Sandie followed an Oak (and a London Plane) in Essex
Itchifingers – Sandie (Essex, England) – Oak and Plane
The Quiet Walker – Amanda – Larch
Weeding the Web – Helen – Lilac
Elephant’s Eye on False Bay – Diana Studer (Western Cape, South Africa) – Carob
Rambling in the Garden – Cathy (West Midlands, England) – Witch Hazel, Hamamelis ‘Amethyst’
Life at 139a – Stephanie (London, England) – Foxglove Tree, Paulownia tomentosa
Country Garden UK – Gillian (North West England) – Bramley Apple
Close to Home – Jane Strong (Southern California) – Sweetgum (2014)
Adventures of a Loner – Karen (Jedburgh, Scotland) – Beech and The Jedburgh Capon (a hollow Oak)
Seasons in the Valley – The Furry Gnome (Ontario, Canada) – Butternut, Juglans cinerea
The Transmutational Garden – Anna (North Texas, USA) – Shumard Oak, Quercus shumardii
Wild Plot – Catherine (Middlesex, England) – Hawthorn
Our Plot at Green Lane Allotments – Sue (West Yorkshire) – Medlar, Mespilus germanica
Dirt and Wine – Melissa (Central Texas, USA) – Live Oak
Botany Ca – Gabriela (Ontario, Canada) – Redbud, Cercis canadensis
Garden Dreaming at Chatillon – Cathy (Châtillon-sur-Saone, the Vosges, France) – Walnuts, Juglans regia and Juglans nigra
Thymewarp – Anne (New Zealand) – Kowhai
Words and Herbs – Cathy (Bavaria, Germany) – Feldahorn (Field Maple), Acer campestre
Juliet’s Nature Journal – Juliet Carol (Kentucky, USA) – Red Mulberry
Lea’s Menagerie – Lea (Mississippi, USA) – Bradford Ornamental Pear, Pyrus calleryana
Nova Scotia Roots – Magnolia
Felix im Garten – Felix (Mannheim, Germany) – Quince
Rebecca’s Texas Garden – Rebecca (Texas, USA) – Chinese Pistache, Pistacia chinensis
Edinburgh Garden Diary – Joanna (Edinburgh, Scotland) – Apple
“Tree Watcher” (Washington State, USA) – Magnolia has no blog so sent photos and information to be published on Other People’s Pictures
LOOKING BACK OVER THE MONTHS
Here are all the link boxes from Loose and Leafy (and now me), which point towards individual tree-following blog posts each month
2014
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
2015
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
2016
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
2017
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
2018
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
2019
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
The idea of Tree Following as something we could do together rather than individually was inspired by Natalie Raeber who organised The Tree Year in 2011
The Squirrelbasket 