Hazel catkins

Anticipating spring sunshine, hazel bushes are growing their catkins. 

These are the male flowers.  They will be twice as long in February and golden with pollen.  But for now they are hard and maggot-like.

Hip, hip hurray

The red fruits of wild roses are called hips and are a good source of vitamin C.  

During the Second World War, children were encouraged to pick the rosehips and deliver them to central collection points to be made into rosehip syrup, a substitute for orange juice, when oranges were no longer available

Here is an extract from The Times of 22nd September 1941:

SYRUP FROM ROSE HIPS.

ORGANIZED COLLECTION OF FRUITS.

A national week for the collection of rose hips to be converted into syrup will open next Sunday. The Ministry of Health and the Department of Health for Scotland state that these fruits, which in the past have been allowed to go to waste, are 20 times as rich in Vitamin C as oranges.

The collecting is being organized chiefly through schools, boy scouts, and girl guides, the women’s institutes, and the Scottish womens’ rural institutions. The hips, which must be ripe, can be gathered from wild or cultivated bushes, but they should be free from bits of stems and leaves. Haws, the red berries of May, are not wanted. The picking season extends until the end of October.

The collecting organizations will supply the hips in bulk to firms who have agreed to pay 2s. for 14 lb. (minimum 28 lb.), carriage forward. It is hoped that some 500 tons will be converted into syrup, which will be marketed at a reasonable price.

Landscape

Looking north from the viewpoint, the variety of tree species is clearer at this time of year than even in summer. 

The silver birch on the left, with its white bark and weeping twigs contrasts with the rounder, dumpier shape of the young oaks, still carrying their orange leaves.

The tall, green and yellow trees in the middle are aspens.  They grow tall and straight with pale bark, not quite as light as the birch.  On the right you can see the stems of those that have lost their leaves already.

Leaflet dispenser

A new leaflet dispenser has been installed near the entrance.

The leaflet has details about the site including our self-guided trail following the 20 numbered posts.  You can see post number one in the background of the above photo. 

The centrefold is a map of the site with the locations of the numbered posts marked.

Forest Schools

On Friday evening Becki Clark and colleagues led a Forest Schools evening for young people from the Baptist Church.  

 The activities culminated  with a campfire on a pre-arranged site.  They made and cooked 'twisters' - dough strips wound round a stick and held over the fire.  You can see this primitive bread making in the pictures below.

They had a great evening, learning safe ways to be outdoors

Photos: Becki Clark

Fallen leaves

You've already seen the oak leaves but you can tell which other trees are overhead or nearby at this time of year by looking on the ground.  

These nearly circular leaves with scalloped edges, in the photo below, fell from aspens.  Some are still green but gradually they turn through yellow to brown.  Can you spot a couple of oak leaves in there too?

And here we have hazel leaves mixed with the narrow leaves of white willow.  Find the aspen leaf in the middle.

Oaks in winter

Although mature oaks shed their leaves in winter, the youngsters hold on to theirs. 

Here's a way to recognise oaks without leaves:  The bud at the end of each shoot doesn't have just one or two buds, it has several.  

Photo:  Jean Murray

The oak tree may grow straight but there is a good chance that one of the buds pointing sideways will carry the shoot off at an angle.This is what makes oak branches so sinuous.