Berry Time

                       It has been a strange summer with late frosts, long hot spells, heavy rain and, lately, very dry conditions. With the days now shortening, Autumn is approaching. The Rowan trees are showing signs of the long spell without and rain and are losing their leaves quite quickly now. There are a small number of fungi about so far, they are waiting on damper, cooler conditions but our biggest Oak tree is showing off a huge Oak Bracket fungus (Inonotus dryadeus). The fungus is parasitic and grows at the base of the trunk every year. It does not seem to harm the tree in any way although it might be an indicator of its declining health, which would be a great shame as it is such a fine tree. We grow a few Blueberry bushes in the wood having found some growing wild over the years to which we have added a few plants bought from local nurseries. The berries are grown commercially nearby as they thrive in the acid soils along the Greensand ridge and we think that the "wild" bushes might well have arisen from bird droppings. Most years we manage to pick a few pounds and this year has been no exception. Elsewhere, it has been a reasonable year for Blackberries and the Holly Trees are already gearing up for Christmas. The Sweet Chestnut trees are also fruiting although it is too early to know what kind of harvest it will be and whether our own chestnuts will feature on the Autumn table.

                        Rowan trees do very well in Crow Wood. They grow well in spite of the poor acidic soils and we have planted quite a number. They are a really good species in terms of biodiversity, their berries providing a great source of winter food for birds and rodents, although last week a Blackbird was already tucking in. Once any berries that remain have fallen, the seeds rot out and germinate well so we are able to take advantage of an endless supply of young trees and the wood regenerates itself.

A female Blackbird taking advantage of the Rowan crop

Holly Berries beginning to colour up

......and will it be a good year for chestnuts ?

the bracket fungi on our main Oak tree

Rowan Berries

Guelder Rose berries

the last of the Blueberries