Birch Ballet

Thursday, 19th February 2004
Wild West Yorkshire nature diary


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This silver birch has been tilted by the prevailing wind from the west. I was talking about natural poses in people yesterday; this tree seems to have a balletic pose. I'm reminded of vintage school radio programmes:

'Now children: pretend to be a tree; you're standing tall, spreading your branches in the sky . . . that's right, wave them gently in the wind . . . '

This birch has the mime to perfection.

' . . . and, relax!'

birch barkThe diamond-shaped scars on the bark of silver birch are a distinctive feature. Downy birch, another native birch that occurs, less commonly in West Yorkshire lacks these diamond scars and it doesn't have the pendulous branches that go so well with the balletic pose of this silver birch.

Bark in Sunlight

Having started looking at bark I couldn't resist photographing the texture of these trees in the afternoon sunlight.

sycamore sycamore hazel

Sycamore

Sycamore

Hazel

I like the burnished silkiness of the hazel sapling and the impasto of the algae-splodged bark of the old sycamore. next page

Richard Bell, richard@willowisland.co.uk


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