WingSearch2020
Menu
  • Home
  • Articles
    • Wildlife Blog
    • Wildlife ID Guides
    • People Who Make a Difference
    • Trips to Foreign Lands
    • NWT Cley Marshes
    • NWT Ranworth Broad
    • RSPB Strumpshaw Fen
  • Bermuda Shorts
  • A Wider View
  • Wildlife Puzzles
  • Wildlife Galleries
Menu

Cherry Tree

Posted on 11 January 202111 January 2021 by birder

Looking out into the garden, I have a clear view of the remains of a cherry tree. Once a prize specimen with a tight mass of eye smarting, white candy floss blooms in spring, it is sadly now just a pared down skeletal stump with a few twisted antlers of decaying wood. Where once hundreds of lithe young branches would whiplash in a summer breeze, its corpse now stands bare; a sorry disease stricken remnant of past glories.

I had to take a saw to this once splendid specimen a decade ago, regretting each stroke of the toothed blade, but knowing for safety’s sake that it needed to be done. I piled the cut branches in a shady spot under the hedge where they have subsequently provided a breeding, feeding and hiding place for myriad small invertebrates, amphibians and mammals whilst they slowly rot. The remaining trunk has stood in slow decay, fulfilling a utilitarian role as a washing line prop, ever since.

It will pay us to take a closer look at this hitherto arboreal delight: the tree may be dead but it is not lifeless. An inspection of the gnarled surface will show a rich coating of lichen whose green and yellow whorls carpet the windward side of the trunk. These lichens form numerous nooks and niches which help to shelter small spiders and tiny insects. Closer inspection still shows a few mosses to be present; both these low growing encrustations form a richly textured mosaic.

Fungi are a feature in season. I’m no expert here but have recognised puffballs and bracket fungi together with smaller species, which may well be Honey Fungus. I’ve noticed that some of these have been nibbled by mice. There are also filaments of mildew in the damper spaces under loose bark. Give nature an opportunity and it will quickly be exploited. 

As you would expect, birds have been well represented over the years, from Sparrowhawks using the dense cover of the foliage to survey the garden for prey, to Greenfinches feasting on the flesh of prolific unripe cherries.

Whilst there is now no cover or fruit, the stump still plays host to several avian guests. The bole has many deep cracks which are ideal for siting a tempting stash of peanuts or sunflower seeds. With plenty of thick cover nearby the tits and finches visit all through the daylight hours quickly stealing a beak full before diving into sanctuary to devour the snack. A Great spotted Woodpecker appears from time to time, tearing what little remaining bark there is forcefully away from the soft wood with its chisel beak. Coal Tits squeeze themselves into the crevasses engineered by the woodpecker in their ceaseless quest for sustenance; beady eyes darting, stubby beak probing. In spring Dunnocks employ the fingered crown for song posts, a utility shared with Blackbirds, Robins, Wrens and the ubiquitous Wood Pigeons.

One spring a large, orange-hued Hornet utilised the soft heartwood as a material for nest building. It would turn up every half hour or so, scrap a jaw full of pulp and fly strongly away high to the north. Later in the warm, soporific days of high summer, solitary wasps bore holes in the spongy wood there to lay eggs to further the next generation. Later still, grotesquely contorted ichneumon wasps use their needle sharp ovipositor to drill deep and inject their own eggs into the maturing grubs of the smaller insect. Life and death in a never ending cycle.

Stranger, was the encounter one night with a pair of mating Leopard Slugs suspended on a string of thick mucus, entwined in their hermaphrodite embrace. I’ve never seen that behaviour before or since, but was quite glad I noticed them before they wacked into my face.

Woodmice can sometimes be seen scurrying round the base of the tree hovering up spilt seeds dropped by the birds. These in turn once attracted a lovely rich red Fox,  a vixen, that spent a couple of hours scraping between the roots vainly hunting the rodents. Tiring of all things mouse it sat down, curled its luxurious tail around itself and dozed in the sunshine a mere 10 metres from where we watched.

More recently, something has really gone to town on the stump, gouging a great hollow in search of food. It’s either our resident Grey Squirrel or maybe another Fox. In any event it will have seriously shortened the standing time of what remains. If it all doesn’t come cracking down during the next strong wind I will be surprised. But at least it will force me to cement in a proper linen post I suppose.

That one tree has seen an awful lot over the 70+ years it has stood in a modest garden in Sprowston. A vast array of wild creatures have called it home, and still do. Indeed the tree is dead, but even in death provides a cradle for life of all kinds.

For other blogs relating to garden wildlife click here

You can download a leaflet exploring the wildlife value of dead wood in the garden by clicking here

If you like this post then please SUBSCRIBE by filling in the details below

Spread the Word
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

6 thoughts on “Cherry Tree”

  1. Lynn says:
    13 January 2021 at 3:37 pm

    What a beautiful story of the circle of life! Thanks so much for sharing this.

    Reply
    1. birder says:
      15 January 2021 at 9:53 am

      Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.

      Reply
  2. David Bryant says:
    13 January 2021 at 8:17 am

    Well: you don’t really need my approbation, but this is an amazing post! What an astonishing array of wildlife in a suburban garden! As always, great account, great photos!

    Reply
    1. birder says:
      13 January 2021 at 10:28 am

      Thanks David, it really is looking a sad old thing now (much like me), but hopefully will last another year or so.

      Reply
  3. Elizabeth Dack says:
    12 January 2021 at 5:25 pm

    Your blogs are always so interesting Barry, You have such wealth of knowledge about so many different species I always look forward to reading what you next blog will be!!
    I love all you brilliant photos. They really compliment the article and show how much life there really is when you have deadwood around the garden and how important it is to leave it there.

    Reply
    1. birder says:
      12 January 2021 at 6:52 pm

      Thanks Elizabeth, your kind words are much appreciated.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fatbirder's Top 1000 Birding Websites

Recent Posts

  • Southern Pantanal 2 25 January 2021
  • My 16 Year Old Self 23 January 2021
  • Southern Pantanal 23 January 2021
  • Northern Pantanal 2 20 January 2021
  • Northern Pantanal 18 January 2021

Pages

  • Home
  • Articles
  • Wildlife Galleries
  • Wildlife Puzzles

SUBSCRIBE HERE

Archives

  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020

Recommended Blog Sites

  • Birds of the Heath – an informative and entertaining daily blog by David Bryant documenting wildlife in the Yare Valley and beyond.
  • Birding Extremadura – Martin Kelsey’s lyrical blog about wildlife in  this wonderful area of Spain
  • Israeli Birder in Norfolk – Yoav Perlman’s blog from Israel. Great science and twitching!
  • Birds and Beer – Norwich based James Emerson’s knowledgeable studies on varied wildlife themes.
  • The Autistic Naturalist – Sean Locke’s blog mainly centred on volunteering at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen. Check out his great drawings!
  • Curlews’ feathers – Darren Archer’s blog from north east England. Vivid personal insights into what makes nature so vital.
  •  Honeyguide Wildlife Blog – Chris Durdin’s engaging reports on trips to foreign lands with his holiday company. Occasional guest blogs appear.
© 2021 WingSearch2020 | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme