I'm Following a Tree | July 2015

My tree is only round the corner from my house but I haven't seen it since I took the photos for last month's post.  From a distance it looks exactly the same as it did last month, if you ignore the packet of wet wipes abandoned on the ground by its trunk.

Up close there are subtle changes.  The female catkins are there in abundance but they have grown during the month and have lengthened and filled out.

 
The leaves have lost their newness and appear to provide nourishment for some unknown creatures.  I think it's possibly a caterpillar but couldn't see any sign of one. 
Some of the leaves are covered in brown patches; I checked online and it seems that the mostly likely cause is a fungus.


The peeling bark is just as interesting as ever.  I always look around the base of the tree for any of the fallen bark, delightfully called 'fairy paper', but have never been lucky enough to find any.


But I was lucky enough to see that a new branch is growing ... still quite tiny, but I'll follow its development over the coming months.
And to finish, a couple of shots taken looking up through the canopy.  Not very well exposed, but I still like them so am sharing them with you.


 Linking with Lucy at Loose and Leafy.

Comments

  1. Love the peeling bark!
    Happy Tree Following!
    Lea

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  2. Oh I love that fallen bark is called Fairy paper. I've made a note of that - I plan on using it in a story one day :)

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  3. I like the new growth on it :)

    betty

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  4. I love the "fairy paper" idea, too.
    Love all the pictures, even the rusty leaf...
    Keep up the good work :)

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  5. Isn't it fascinating just how much there is to see when you move in for a closer look. Lovely pictures.

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  6. This is so beautiful Eileen. And the bark is perfectly named.

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  7. I'm happy to learn that peeling birch bark is called Fairy Paper! ... somehow it seems very appropriate

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  8. That tiny branch is worth keeping an eye on. In my climate (cold winter Quebec) the chances of it surviving next year would be low. I hope yours lives.

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  9. I am wondering if your Silver Birch (like mine in Suffolk) has attracted lots of ants and whether it has shed lots of sap (as if it were a lime tree)? I certainly haven't noticed the sap in other years, but it may be the extra warm temps we had for a few days. Enjoy your holiday and all those wonderful plans! I know Dyrham well from days when I was under a hospital in Bath.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, there are lots of ant crawling all over the tree. I tried to take some photos but failed miserably! I haven't noticed any sap at all but I'll go and have another look when the rain stops ... if it ever does!

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  10. I love the bark! The coloring of the leaves is very interesting, with the dark and light greens.

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  11. Lovely photos Eileen, the colour of the leaves is lovely, shame it is caused by a fungus! I love that peeling bark too...
    I have a weeping birch in my garden and I sometimes wash the lichen off the trunk. I will have to pay much more attention to it instead of focusing so much on the two trees that I am following....

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