F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Summer in England has arrived unseasonably late. I am not complaining, the days have been warm enough for me to enjoy sitting out on the patio reading a book watching the sun go down.

From Little Acorns

I often take photographs of what I refer to as ‘My Oak Tree’.  Of course the old oak tree isn’t mine, it is part of nature.  The tree isn’t even in my garden; it is in the garden beyond the bridle path that runs behind my house.  I am very fond of the tree and it provides beauty and interest throughout each of the seasons of the year.  It is now so large that its branches completely span the bridle path and reach into the back corner of my garden.

A recent comment on my blog mentioned that it was a shame about the ivy growing on the trunk because it would kill the tree.  I used to think that too but, since I first thought that several years ago, the tree has grown around 10 feet (3.048 meters) and I noticed many trees in Shropshire sharing their space with ivy so I have dismissed the idea.

After the recent blog comment I decided to check the facts. I found that ivy is not a parasite and it does not kill the tree. The aerial roots are not penetrative and the ivy’s roots are firmly in the ground beneath the tree.  The relationship between tree and ivy is symbiotic.  The ivy attracts wildlife so the oak tree is always full of life. Visitors to my tree include blue tits, great tits, coal tits, wrens, sparrows, blackbirds, pigeons, insects and, on one memorable occasion, a poplar hawk-moth descended and settled on me just above my waist.  This was quite alarming because poplar hawk-moths are quite large (wingspan 65-90 mm).  Luckily it didn’t flap around like moths normally do; it just glided in and came to rest gently.  It was coaxed off me and went to settle inside the kitchen for a short time before going back to its natural habitat outside.

I have both memories and photos of beautiful sunsets through the branches of the tree and of sitting in the garden watching the sun go down.  Of hearing the leaves rustle in the wind watching the seasons go by.  Of the rebirth of the leaves and buds in spring, the green of summer, the autumnal hues followed by the winter view.  The weather in autumn determines how quickly the dead leaves fall from the tree; in some years the winter view is bare branches or, in others, there is a golden glow throughout winter due to the leaves not falling from the branches.

I have always had a fondness for trees because of many childhood walks where my dad encouraged me to identify different trees by their bark and leaves. I have got a bit rusty on tree identification since then but I still enjoy woodland walks and immersing myself in the beauty of magnificent trees and the wildlife they attract.

15th April 2012

A perfect summer’s day was followed by a perfect summer’s evening. How could I resist sitting on my patio with a glass of wine watching the sun go down behind ‘my oak tree’?

I sat enjoying the warm air and the sounds of nature…

I wondered if my friend the hedgehog would show his face, but he proved a little shy this evening. The frog that surprised me a couple of weeks ago, when I found him sitting on the top of the watering can was also absent. I was however visited by a bat buzzing around the garden on a quest for an evening snack. After he left, a large moth flew into the house and thankfully flew straight back out again. I shut the door quickly so he could not make a return visit.

A perfect way to spend an evening

Stonehenge is an ancient prehistoric site and has been a place of worship and celebration at the time of Summer Solstice since time immemorial. Hopefully today it will by a Sunny Solstice sunrise

Today it was suggested that I might like to go on a trip to pick up some balsa wood strips (don’t ask) and incorporate a visit to Erddig.

A few minutes after we set off, we encountered brilliant sunshine and torrential rain at the same time. There was a lake of water on the road and as the rain drops fell they splashed up in beautiful formations, the like of which I have not seen before. I would have loved to get a photo but it was impossible through the car window and the windscreen wipers (which were set to top speed). I will just have to hold the image in my memory.

When we got to Erddig the rain had stopped.  We went round the house first as it closed early then it was nice to take a stroll round the garden. Half way round, there was a change in the air and the sound of distant thunder. The stroll had to be cut short to avoid the possibility of getting soaked…

There was a Victorian event going on at the house, which is why you can see tents in the photograph.

I invite you to join me at Vision & Verb where I muse about nature and  ‘the oak tree‘ beyond my garden fence.