The Sussex Weald: the final trumpets of autumn
St. Leonard’s Forest, West Sussex, November 2019 The last day of autumn. The final patches of beech, oak, hazel and birch leaves are all that resist the darkest greens and browns of a winter wood. The...
View ArticleThe Sussex Weald: deer reclaim the Forest
St. Leonard’s Forest, West Sussex, August 2020 I stand on the long, straight track that cuts through the heart of St. Leonard’s Forest. I recently looked for it on a map from the 1870s. I thought it...
View ArticleThe Sussex Weald: to fall is not to fail
St. Leonard’s Forest, West Sussex, October 2020 A jay swoops through the trees in silence, landing on an oak branch, an acorn held in its bill. A friend and I have a running gag. Wherever we see a jay...
View ArticleThe Sussex Weald: the Saxon oak
The West Sussex Weald, February 2021 The final day of February. The seasons are exchanging but only in light. The first blackthorn flowers are breaking buds at the roadside. Two cyclists float past:...
View ArticleFungi 🍄: keeping up with the polypores
This week I stumbled across two of the more charismatic polypores you can find at this time of year. Polypores are bracket fungi that grow like shelves, usually from a tree trunk but sometimes also at...
View ArticleEarly spring at Petworth Park
A series of photos from a sunny late winter/early spring afternoon in Petworth Park. Though it’s located in the South Downs National Park, it’s a Wealden landscape of huge ancient oak and sweet...
View ArticleOak timbers: St. Peter’s Street, Canterbury
Follow @OakTimbers on Instagram A really good guide for buildings in Canterbury can be found here. I recently visited the English city of Canterbury, encountering many, many timber-framed buildings. I...
View ArticleOak timbers: All Saints Lane, Canterbury
Follow @OakTimbers on Instagram All Saints Lane is a residential cul-de-sac (apologies to anyone living there who saw me peering in) which has one incredible stretch of timber framing. Turns out you...
View ArticleFungi 🍄: tree lungwort lichen in western Ireland
Since 2013 I have been visiting a small area of ‘Celtic rainforest’ I know in Co. Mayo in Western Ireland. It’s hard to find much ecologically significant woodland in Mayo, a place of vast peat bogs,...
View ArticleOak timbers: Palace Street, Canterbury
Follow @OakTimbers on Instagram Buckle up, there’s a lot of timber coming! This post concludes the series of posts (literally) showcasing Canterbury’s timber framed buildings. Of course there are many...
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