New territory for me, and how delightful to be introduced to this area by Ian with his extensive knowledge of plants, trees and fungi. I learnt some of the plants indicative of ancient woodland including Townhall Clock (Moschatel) and that Birch seeds will not take root under an existing Birch tree – they will be blown to a patch of land next door to existing woodland and will germinate there, so the wood is always on the move. We looked at nursery trees (growing on fallen tree trunks and roots) – much more common now in UK than they used to be now that woodland management practices have changed, leaving ancient and fallen trees in situ to rot and host flora and fauna. Ian showed me the birch woodland that has grown up on an old coal bing site – completely naturally, and the wild flower meadow that has established itself at the old pit head, where he collects Yellow Rattle seeds (helpful in establishing a wild flower lawn). I am already itching to go back to explore more in this area. A rainy day on which the moss and lichens glowed!
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