Peek bracken

 

The stands are choked with a tangle of bracken, often thick and tall enough to obscure your view and hamper your movement.  Though the time of peek bracken is coming to an end, it's zenith passed. A heavy downpour or strong wind will see them take a bow, they've overstretched themselves. There was a weird sense of autumn amongst the stands this morning, strong enough to prompt recognition. A reminder of where we are in the year and how fast the seasons pass.  

Green screen

 

Out and about we're reaching peak bracken, in places it stands shoulder high, and tightly packed. Gone are the expansive views extending hundreds of meters through the stands, reduced in places to no more than just beyond arms length. The whole aspect of the forest is changed.

Bracken

 

The Commons' bracken has been humbled by the recent rains, battered down from well above head height to somewhere just above the waist. Bracken had many wide ranging traditional uses, and in past communities it was a much valued resource; although today due to it's highly invasive nature it's seen more as a threat to biodiversity. You can see why too. I can't think of an environment in which it doesn't appear to flourish, it's been suggested that bracken covers 1.6% of the UK.

Bracken basket

Walking through Mark Ash Wood we came across evidence that someone had been practising their bushcraft skills. Perched on the mushroom covered hulk of a fallen Beech an incomplete basket woven out of bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) stems; it may have been rough, that's just the nature of the material, but you could see how effective a container could be constructed on the hoof from such an abundant forest resource. Even in it's unfinished state, I was impressed; nice work.

Use the force

Use the force Luke! At present walking some of the common's smaller paths requires belief that they're actually there as evidence of their presence is currently absent, as the common, currently swamped in over head high bracken and willow herb, makes their existence impossible to ascertain. When the common's like this I feel my inner child awaken, memories of summer camps, of secret pathways and games played amongst a temporary world of green.

By bracken and bramble

It's been a bumper season for bracken and bramble, and they're nowhere done yet. Already the common's beginning to choke with them, waist, even shoulder high in places, their uncompromising march is really quite impressive. Brambles are incredibly important, providing as they do food and shelter to countless insects, birds and mammals; and bracken used to be such a valued resource that it's collection was strictly regulated. It's the time of year when the common's paths are narrowing and the lesser will become impassible without intervention. So it's that time of year when I carry secateurs on my walks.

Bracken

With the bracken at it's zenith the forest is finally fully transformed. Gone are the wide vistas through the stands, those long lines of sight, the openness. The forest has now closed in on herself, creating myriad hidden spaces, for the most part you can't see more than a few meters around of you, and even in the woods you know well, it's easy to loose track.  The woods are different place when they're like this, full of secret places and magical spaces. Love it.

Fight, fight!

Who'd win in a fight, brambles or bracken? I ask as there's a battle for supremacy going on over the common as to which which of these two species will dominate. You see, a couple of years back some yoof burn a huge swathe of the common, it's a fairly regular occurrence, although this time it was on a grand scale. All but the larger trees was razed, even some of them were damaged beyond saving the ground was charred black. As time has passed brambles and bracken have colonized in equal measure, climbing over each other to get a foot hold.  I get the impression they're both opportunist invaders, taking advantage of our environmental ineptitude.  Time will tell who will be victorious.