I recently came across something new to be fascinated by – tree following! As explained on The Squirrelbasket website:
“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 mos
- 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.”
I have missed the 7th of this month, but will link to the proper website next month. But for a start here are a few pictures and a little background information about the trees I have chosen.
What particularly appeals to me is the watching. Most of what I do in my garden is watching. And waiting. And watching some more. And thereby I learn. A lot. I hope to learn a lot more about these trees and the places they are growing in.
Apple Trwyn Mochyn (Pig’s Snout in Welsh)
apple trwyn mochyn
I planted this tree five years ago. She is on the right of the second picture down in the linked post – just a stick in the ground. She is being grown as a ‘tiny tree’ which I have written about here.
apple trwyn mochyn
Silver birch in the woods
I was in the wood this week and as I was clearing brambles from around her trunk this tree seemed to stand out from the rest.
silver birch in woods February 2019
silver birch base of trunk
hole low down in the trunk
craggy and scarred bark
Unknown tree at old St Chad’s churchyard, Shrewsbury
Only a small part of the ancient church remains and it is surrounded by lovely trees which make this (in my opinion) one of the most lovely corners of a altogether very lovely town. I went to look for a tree in and this one that I haven’t identified yet chose me.
unknown tree old St Chad’s Churchyard, Shrewsbury
bark of unknown tree
gardens of delight 
It is tempting, VERY tempting. I just do not want to get into another meme right now. I can barely keep up with work. I happen to live and work among some of the most interesting trees in the World. Some of the coastal redwood here are hundreds of feet tall, and some are centuries old. (The older trees were harvested.) They do not change much through the year, but it would be interesting to document the slight changes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
so nice to have another tree follower, the linky box stays open for a week closing in the evening of the 14th, what a pity you have just missed it,
I like your little apple tree and shall look at the linked posts, the other older trees all look interesting, I wonder how far the hole under the silver birch goes in and what lives in there, it has something of Winnie the Pooh and the Hundred Acre wood about it,
Frances
p.s. if you leave a comment on the linky box post then anyone reading can click on your name to come through to your blog and read your contribution, I think Pat and other Tree followers would be interested to read your post,
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great, thanks for the hints!
LikeLike
What a delightful idea. A magical tree journey
LikeLiked by 1 person