The Great Tree

 There is a tree that I have long believed to be the largest tree in town, and I haven't come across anything to make me doubt this. Indeed, many other people agree. 

It lies within The Friary Gardens, where once upon a time Henry VII gave the monks money to set up a small abbey, only for Henry VIII to imprison the monks and flatten it in 1539. 

Some may recognise it as the place where I photograph the aconite every January, up on a bank that was later constructed as a civil war era rampart. 

No-one knows how old the tree is, although they don't believe it was around at the time of the abbey. So maybe it is 200-300 years old. For many years many people, including myself, thought it was a london plane tree. 

It is not. It is an oriental plane tree, apparently the leaves and the seeds are the giveaway. 

It must have seen countless families take picnics under its boughs, and thousands of dogs walk around the grounds. Every day children scoot, skate and cycle by its giant, tumerous trunk. 

It is The Great Tree of the town, and long may it remain so. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 12.11.25

Flashback to the Last Insects of the Season

 While waiting for the ground to awaken once again, with snowdrops expected in about, gosh, maybe three weeks, lets look back to the mild spell before the snow and bitter cold, and look at the last pollinator I found on the last blooms of campus. 

Also, let me introduce you to the beautiful markings of a noble false widow spider. I remember that a few years ago, the sighting of one of these faintly venomous spiders would cause entire schools to close so that anything with eight legs could be vapourised, now they are a common sigh everywhere round here. 

Hopefully you are still finding interesting things to look at where you are. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 28.11.24

First Snow of the Season

 The quiet green and brown months of late autumn, where little flies, grows or blooms, have been disturbed by quite the heavy snowfall up here. 

It's a long time since we've had snow this heavy at all here, let alone in November. It feel for several hours until about 1am, by which time we had about 10cm on snow on the ground, filling my planters and covering my poor old Decathlon bike that lives outside.

In the morning, one look outside told me that cycling to work was not going to be a great idea, as it turned out, walking through heavy, slippery slush was no fun either and took me over an hour to get to work. 

It is now clear off the roads and paths, apart from a bridge section that looks like it will be no fun after a sub zero night. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 19.11.24

The Stunning Fungi of Belvoir Castle

 We took a family trip to Belvoir Castle on a lovely crisp, if dull, autumn day to commemorate the 5th anniversary of my mum's death. We felt that was a nice way to mark it; a walk up to the castle and a mooch around the gardens there, followed by lunch down at the bistro in the rather pricey commercial village at the bottom of the hill. 

It is indeed a steep little drag up to the castle, along paths lined with fallen leaves and fallen sweet chestnuts, with the inevitable squirrels flittering about picking up various edibles to much on. 

The castle itself is a magnificent folly; a status symbol with no strategic purpose, but visible from far afield and boasting commanding views from the top. The gardens must look magnificent in spring and early summer, with their huge plots of roses, a babbling fountain and statues, but it what was visible on the day that took the attention. 

It was the numerous fungi poking out of the grass, and clinging onto to trees. In particular, the stunning oramge peel fungus, a species I've never seen before, was everywhere. How something that looks so delicate can force its way out of the ground is beyond me. 

Also present in one corner of the garden were big white fungi that looked like giant funnels. Feeding their photo into iNaturalist, it turns out that they are called "Giant funnels" so whoever classified them back in the day was obviously of a very literal mindset. 

I was particularly excited about seeing red kites up there; I've seen plenty while playing cricket at Belvoir cricket club in the past, but we only got to glimpse one off in the distance. But we had a lovely, and fitting, day regardless. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 05.11.24

Meandering Along

 Hello readers.

Been pretty inactive lately, over which I feel very guilty. I've had a cold, sciatica, and other medical unpleasantness going on which has taken my enthusiasm for being outside away. The dark days and early sunsets aren't helping either. 

I did get a good run in last night, about 7km, but today my ankle is making me pay for it. At least I did some gardening, if you can call weeding planters and planting a few bulbs the names of which I've already forgotten gardening. Typically, there was light drizzle while I was doing this. 

The world without pollinators feels a sad one, I haven't seen a bee or a butterfly in a couple of weeks, it feels like. November always feels so bleak to me; At least in December I can start hunting for snowdrops and aconite again; they seem to get earlier every year. 

So yes, I'm suffering from autumn blues I guess. I hope you are all doing well.

Si

Wading Time

 Sadly not a post about spotting wading birds, but rather a walk at the weekend in the rain.

I've had a sore back the last couple of weeks, as well as a cold, so I've not been out too much. Determined to go out on Saturday despite the rain, I went out in full waterproofs and wellingtons, wellingtons I've only worn once before, and headed down to the park to see how the flooding was going. 

Well the water has receded somewhat, but the heavy rain that day was making them rise again, and a lot of the path by the River Devon was underwater. However, with wellies on, I was able to power on through! 

I felt ever so slightly adventurous, rather than slow and lazy for a change. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 06.11.23