Autumn has arrived, a drop in temperatures, some much needed rainfall (though nowhere near enough yet) and the leaves turning brown. The Woods are starting their winter close-down and I must really get to grips with writing-up the results from the 2023 permanent plot surveys. The previous recording was in 2018, so normally I would… Continue reading We live in interesting times
Tag: history
Balanced Ecology
There is a lovely short story which imagines a distant world, where the Diamondwood Forest – from the trees, ground flora, to the decomposers (the clean-up squad) – is in fact one interconnected supra-organism whose controlling being is large turtle-like creature. The Forest realises that the only way of stopping humans wrecking the system is… Continue reading Balanced Ecology
Wytham Park
The Old Man has been taking advantage of the fine weather to do some plant collecting for the Herbarium, nothing particularly special, just adding to the places on the Wytham Estate from which we have recent specimens of common species. The other week I had a wander through the Park. A view of Wytham Park… Continue reading Wytham Park
Out with the old, in with the new
A belated December blog, as the Old Man got a bit overwhelmed by other jobs before and after Christmas. So, ‘another year over and what have you done’ sang Lennon. Well, the new book about the Wytham Estate and the research carried out there went through the final publication stages. All seemed under control, until… Continue reading Out with the old, in with the new
Something old, something new
The Old Man has been getting about a bit recently, in the last week looking at ancient trees and woods in Lincolnshire, Nottingham and Yorkshire, replanted ancient woodland in Shropshire and Somerset, and extensive new woodland in Hertfordshire. These were mostly fairly brief visits but each raised some interesting questions and challenges in terms of… Continue reading Something old, something new
In the footsteps of the Legions
A long march, a long march, and twenty years behind, but the girl I met at Clusium comes easy to my mind. The above comes from an imagined Legionary marching song, used in a 1950s’ radio adaptation of The Eagle of the Ninth: I was about five but listened with my older brother. Fragments of… Continue reading In the footsteps of the Legions
Is the Old Man Ancient or simply Long-established?
Later today I will be joining a discussion about what is important about ancient woods and whether some characteristics are also shared with younger woodland. So, I am revisiting some of the history of the terms beforehand and how they have evolved. Hayley – the quintessential ancient wood; and recent woodland in the Heart of… Continue reading Is the Old Man Ancient or simply Long-established?
