Hugging Trees

Oak tree, Co. Cavan

I have been reading ,and enjoying, Robert Mcfarland’ s book, “The Wild Places”. He describes how trees are ” mutual organisms, best understood when considered in their relationship to one another”. I like trees in relationships with hedges and woods with undergrowth and climbers and leaf mould.

This oak tree stands in an overgrown hedge in a  small field that has never had tractor on it ,hence was never drained , fertilised or limed.

I have also been looking at the woodland trusts” ancient tree hunt” and how to measure trees . You can estimate their girth in hugs ( if you know the length of your hug) . I have never been into hugging trees much before, but I was surprised how impressive tree hugging is. Try it, for a sense of time, history and endurance.

 

Autumn Moths

Mervielle du jour moth in Co. Cavan

 

 

 

Angle shades moth

I have been pleased with the  moth trapping this week . Lots of unidentified november moth type sitting all over the trap when I went out and inside these two in the photos and a couple of feathered thorn and chestnut .

 

Wood mouse in Cavan

wood mouse from a longworth live trap

I managed to trap this fellow, using hazel nuts as the bait, in the wood behind the house.  It is distinguished from the unwelcome visitors in the house  by the bigger ears, longer tail  and big back legs.

Amazing number of predators after this fellow, I imagine :  long eared owls, foxes ,kestrel,stoats, pine martin , badger, magpies,

 

rare plant toothwort

parasitic plant

I found this in hedgerow ,  in the last week of April, in Butlers Bridge Co. Cavan . The plant has no chlorophyll and parasitises hazel bushes

 

Survival strategy

Feathered Thorn is a type of moth which flew into our house this week, attracted by the light.

It flys at this time of year which makes it unusual since many moths fly in the warmer months of summer. There must of course be some advantages in being out when there are few others. I would guess there are fewer predators at this end of the year eg birds feeding broods . I imagine there are fewer bats about, spiders and predatory insects. I watched a wasp catch and kill an early thorn moth this

male feathered thorn, Killeshandra, 7th nov 08

July as I examined the contents of my moth trap one morning. The wasp neatly bit off each of the four wings. It positioned the remaining thorax and abdomen parallel to its self and flew off, with the copse underneath, in its legs . So maybe flying at this time of year is one survival strategy of another species of moth. It must be resistant to the cold!

From the books the larvae are feeding on various trees in May and June which is also when many other larvae are found. I wonder do the adults feed much.

 

learning and mistakes

I always admire those who admit their mistakes and learn.

I attempted to visit Ballyheady Cairn ( Co Cavan) today .We didn’t quite make it. The area is planted with conifers ,which makes it harder, but the area is worth further investigation . I suspect that we will feel, as a community in the future, that planting this area was a mistake. I planted a few woods and trees in the wrong place in my time. Ive cut down trees that should have been left. Rip and burn is not good practice.

What made me think of mistakes and learning was discovering Cathy Fitzgeralds blog “An art an ecology notebook” on word press. her video on utube “burning bright” was interesting.