Tree Following With Lucy: Green Shoots of Recovery
You may remember my previous Tree Following post last December was rather dramatic as most of the ash tree on the public land next door was removed by tree surgeons. It left us with the view of a tall stump from our bedroom window and a shady-no-more side border in the garden to have a think about.
In that post I wondered if the stump would resprout as the tree surgeon said it would and I'm delighted to report he was right. Our spring stirrings have included the pictured three green shoots of recovery.
I nearly posted last month that I thought it would happen. You may remember I showed you a 'stealth seedling' which had crept up unnoticed at VP Gardens until I spotted it last June.
I couldn't chop it down completely as by then there were too many other plants in the way, then in late March I spotted the remaining stump was beginning to sprout.
However, I didn't post about it last month as when I came to take the photograph of a tiny twig against a brick wall, it was far too boring for words. This is much better :)
Mr and Mrs pigeon have moved a couple of trees down the block to continue with their billing and cooing. They've been replaced by a rather magnificent mistle thrush, who uses the stump to sing in the sunset.
I had a bit of a surprise last week when walking down the bottom of the garden when I found Mr and Mrs mistle thrush have set up home on top of our fence, You may need to click on the picture to spot what I found.
Thank goodness I haven't disturbed them, they're now merrily flying in at full throttle to keep up with meeting the demands of their hungry brood.
Have a look at Loose and Leafy to find out how this month's other Tree Followers are faring.
In that post I wondered if the stump would resprout as the tree surgeon said it would and I'm delighted to report he was right. Our spring stirrings have included the pictured three green shoots of recovery.
I nearly posted last month that I thought it would happen. You may remember I showed you a 'stealth seedling' which had crept up unnoticed at VP Gardens until I spotted it last June.
I couldn't chop it down completely as by then there were too many other plants in the way, then in late March I spotted the remaining stump was beginning to sprout.
However, I didn't post about it last month as when I came to take the photograph of a tiny twig against a brick wall, it was far too boring for words. This is much better :)
I had a bit of a surprise last week when walking down the bottom of the garden when I found Mr and Mrs mistle thrush have set up home on top of our fence, You may need to click on the picture to spot what I found.
Thank goodness I haven't disturbed them, they're now merrily flying in at full throttle to keep up with meeting the demands of their hungry brood.
Have a look at Loose and Leafy to find out how this month's other Tree Followers are faring.
Good news all round, with new growth and new chicks. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteGood news all round, plants and new chicks :)
ReplyDeleteTree surgeons lopped off major amounts of the three London plane trees outside my window a couple of years back - there was suddenly so much more light but no lovely shady green to look out onto. Thankfully, two years on, the leaves are back which means so are the blue tits and robins. Birdsong once more! It must have been quite thrilling to find the bird's nest - lucky that you didn't have hedge trimmers in hand! x
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to have the thrush nesting with you, so glad they weren't disturbed.
ReplyDeleteOooh, how exciting to have mistle thrushes nesting! Glad to see your tree is recovering too.
ReplyDeleteOh I doubted our tree surgeon when he reassured me that our willow would re-sprout but sure enough like your ash it rose again like a phoenix. Love that little thrush nesting in a sea of ivy.
ReplyDeleteSong!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I saw an unfamiliar thrush in Street (Somerset) a couple of months ago. I kept meaning to find out what it was. This prompted me to look at pictures. Yes. Mistle Thrush. Have never seen any round where I live.
ReplyDeleteLovely to have a thrush nesting near you. I had to look up the difference between mistle thrush and song thrush and I read that song thrushes are rounder and dumpier. I have song thrushes in my garden but I don' t know where they are nesting. I do know where their dining room is though. I have found a pile of broken snail shells next to a stone. Does the mistle thrush have the same beautiful song as the song thrush?
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to find that nest! I am trying to work out if I have blackbirds nesting, I keep seeing them feeding their young in the garden, but haven't been clever enough to spot where they live...
ReplyDeleteOh lucky you having mistle thrushes nesting in the garden. I've got a thick patch of hedge under the elderberries where the blackbirds are nesting at present. I'd love to have more birds nesting here, but there are so many cats in the neighbourhood I'm not sure it's a good idea. Yesterday I found a half eaten slow worm on the path in front of the house.
ReplyDeleteHelle