Notable tree

I've always loved this wildly spreading oak on the edge of Sloden; with it's flamboyant animalistic characteristics it really makes its' presence felt. Definitely one of the forests notable oaks. You can't help but wonder how many other travellers have marvelled as they've passed.

Flat Oak

 

Sad to find that one of the forests' elder statesmen, the Flat Oak of Wood Crates has lost one of its' three huge branches; the premier one too. This is an ancient oak, a remnant of a much older forest which existed prior to the 1700's and enclosure. They're a rarer phenomenon around the forest than you might imagine.

The Eagle Oak

 

The Eagle Oak

The Flat Oak

The Flat Oak stands out as ancient amongst the younger veteran trees of Wood Crates. We always say hello if we're passing through this region of the forest. Well, it would be rude not to.

Twisted

There's a hell of a tree on Vinney Ridge, all twisted and bent, a symbol of defiance and endurance. Throughout the forest there are countless of these trees who've battled against adversity to survive being knocked about by the element; but survive they do, if not thrive even. Isn't nature a wonder.

The Eagle Oak

 

The Eagle Oak, one of the forests' ancient named trees.

Magnificent Oak

Oak

Endurance

 

Trees can teach us a thing or two about endurance. Twisted, buckled, torn and split, this beech has been bent and battered by time and the elements, though even with it's crown forced to the ground it dug in and kept on keeping on. You see a lot of trees about the forest that have been slighted by the elements and have fought on and thrived.

Ooh!

The Ooh tree; the best tree face I've seen in ages.

Flat Oak

I've long known this Ancient and venerable oak as the Flat Oak according to it's shape, although this morning Cernunnos had manifest deep in the woods and the mighty oak was undeniably channelling the horned God; apt with the Summer Solstice soon upon us.

Elephant or Rhino?

What do you see? An elephant or a Rhino? Or maybe something else.

The Illustrated Tree

Our route this morning took us past the illustrated tree; a wonderful old man of the forest, and undoubtedly a tree of note. It's always a pleasure to reacquaint oneself with such a magical forest inhabitant, especially one so gnarly and magnificently patterned. It's also a relief to find him still standing it these stormy times; that said, he is fairly well protected by the surrounding trees.

Illustrated tree

 

It was good to find the illustrated tree on the edge of Pinnick Wood at Marrowbones Hill still doing well, in fact he looked better that my previous visit a couple of years back.  Ancient and weathered he's really quite the wonder, and quite the spectacle to behold.

Eagle Oak

At near the same size as the nearby Knightwood Oak, we can assume that the Eagle Oak at a girth of 5.4 meters is about 600 years old, and so one of the oldest trees in the forest. Pre dating the Knightwood enclosure (1867) and the coniferous plantation in which it's now set by well over 400 years, we can only imagine the Eagle Oaks original setting.  It's name denotes the trees infamy as the tree in which the last New Forest Sea Eagle was shot by a local game keeper in 1810. Happily the Sea Eagle soars  again over the forest stands, with several sightings last year sparking hopes of a population developing local.

Great Huntley Oak

We visited the Great Huntley Oak this morning, it's always a pleasure to spend time with him. As ever, whatever troubles I bring to him, he's seen them all before, and covid's no different. At over 500 years old or more he's seen it all, he was about for the many plagues of the 16th and 17th centuries and he remembers the Spanish Flu too. Plagues aren't new, they're as old as the hills, we used to think them sent by maleficent Gods and malignant spirits, although it appears in this case, and in one way or another, we've become the maleficent Gods. In the past all we had was superstition and prayer to defend us, though today science gives us the ability to prepare for and mitigate such epidemic and pandemic plagues. I wondered why we hadn't. Even with his hundreds of years of experience the Great Huntley Oak couldn't answer that one.

Tenacious pine

What a tenacious pine, man, there's about 5 meters or more of tree trunk above this thin connecting piece....quite remarkable.

Resilience

 That's just showing off, man. The resilient Pine.  

Finally fallen

There was a tree which had stood at a 30 degree angle over Highland Water for 25 years or more. Over those long years we watched it slowly decaying, all it's boughs and branches had gone, though it remain steadfast and solid. When passing I'd test it, pushing and pulling at the trunk setting up a rhythm which would vibrate it to it's tip, and as I'd walk off secure in the knowledge it endured, I turn to watch the tip of the truck wave us off. Today I found it destroyed, not directly through the elements, though through the agency of those elements. In the recent strong winds an adjacent tree had lost a main bough and crushed the old veteran, sending it shattered to the ground. Having a look at the old fellows timber, I'm certain it would have endured for several more years without the other trees intervention. Sneaky winds, could take him on their own.

The illustrated tree

An objective of our walk this morning was to visit that venerable old fellow of the forest, the illustrated tree. Still standing proud, if not weather worn and battle torn, this gnarled and withered old oak, with it's fabulously patterned boughs and trunk, never fails to enthral. Well met, sir.

Tenacious tree

Trees teach us many things, such as, to stay grounded, to be patient, to keep growing and to weather life's storms. With reference to the last point, the forest is full of tenacious trees, ones that although mortally wounded, heroically stand firm against the relentless elements, some even appear to stand in defiance of logic and physics. Take this gnarled Beech who still reaches upwards and whose canopy still thrives, though doing so with only a tiny fraction of it's trunk remaining. Isn't nature wonderful.