Ash before Oak

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When we first meet him he seems to be sustained by his close observations of nature and the work he is doing to convert some disused cottages into a “to-be-home” but before long an undertow of melancholy emerges like spores of an airborne fungus, tainting everything he does with feelings of doubt and worthlessness. Otherwise, the Biodiversity Team provides volunteering opportunities on Tuesdays through Thursdays every week of the year, undertaking practical habitat management, including botanical surveying during the summer months. More info here.

At the foot of Glastonbury Tor in Somerset stand two very ancient oaks, reputedly over 2000 years old and known as Gog and Magog. It is thought they may be the last remnants of an avenue of oaks leading up to the Tor, itself steeped in myth and legend. In the British Isles, summer is usually considered as the months of June to August. Therefore, the proverb suggests that if ash trees start budding earlier than oak trees, it could be a difficult season due to excessive rainfall and cold temperatures. Whereas if oak flowers emerge first, it could mean it’s going to be a warm and sunny season.Children would wear oak leaves (or better still, oak apples) as part of a custom which officially lasted until 1859. In fact the tradition continued well into the twentieth century. Once again the symbol of oak leaves had royal connections. And so it won’t be a surprise which plant was the clan badge of the Royal Clan Stewart.

Twigs of Ash has long been used to protect against Witchcraft. It is used in different ways, but one of the best known perhaps being the “Rowan and Red Thread” charms. (Rowan is a type of Ash). Many other spells exist which are believed to bring about protection from witchcraft and malefic magics involving the Ash tree. Our tree of the month is not only a common native in this country, but can be found over most of Europe as well as the Caucuses. Young girls in Northern Counties eagerly awaited the first blossom and the girl who found it would break it and leave it hanging. That night she would dream of her future husband. If she found it again she would keep it as a charm until her husband appeared. Rowan Given the dryness of the past couple of months – March 2022 was one of the driest on record, April saw only one-third of the average rainfall – there’s an old folk saying which comes to mind and which might prompt all gardeners to take precautions to collect as much rainwater as possible before a probable hosepipe ban is brought in over the summer: “Oak before ash, you’re in for a splash; Ash before oak, you’re in for a soak.”As for the trees themselves…in early winter, the deciduous trees entered dormancy. They shed their leaves, stored sugars and amino acids in their roots, branches and trunk, and waited for warmer temperatures to return. During this time, as long as temperatures are above freezing, water continued to flow into the roots. Trees absorb water until water pressure in the trees is equal to their surroundings. As the air and soil temperatures rise in spring, the trees are primed and ready to go. They are flush with water and have started to move sugars from their roots to the twigs, supplying the energy needed to grow new shoots and leaves. This process is often referred to as “ the sap rising”. Những phát hiện mới được công bố trên tạp chí Science cho thấy phytochromes kiểm soát các công tắc di truyền phản ứng lại nhiệt độ cũng như ánh sáng điều khiển sự phát triển của thực vật. To associate myself with the fate of life around me, something I’ve never before done in all my fifty-five years, feels like a risk. A necessary risk.” C. Farmers and gardeners have known for hundreds of years how responsive plants are to temperature: warm winters cause many trees and flowers to bud early, something humans have long used to predict weather and harvest times for the coming year. The latest research pinpoints for the first time a molecular mechanism in plants that reacts to temperature – often triggering the buds of spring we long to see at the end of winter. There seem, in practice, a number of other regional variations (most commonly neither of the above but rather: Ash before Oak - we're in for a soak, Oak before Ash - we're in for a splash) largely it seems based on what rhymes or scans best than any scientific factor as observations suggest the relatively leafing of ash and oak has little predictive power for the weather for the rest of the year. However, what it does indicate quite clearly is the weather at that time, and hence a marker for climate change ( https://www.field-studies-council.org... and https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/natureuk/...).

I’m vulnerable, sinking several times each day into sharp anxiety. Threatened by the tiny everyday. I don’t want to cook and I don’t want to be cooked for, I don’t want to speak or be spoken to and I don’t want to be silent or be silenced, I don’t want to be seen by anybody and I don’t want to be left alone, I don’t want to live and I don’t want to die. But there is still enjoyment to be taken even with the less flashy flowers around the downs. The sight of what might be regarded as the mundane or banal, the first dandelions and daisies which were sighted before the start of April, was something to be enjoyed and celebrated.You don’t need me to tell you that trees are important parts of our landscape, or that they provide food and habitat for many different species. This Ash has long been home to nesting crows. One neighbour told me that there have been crows nesting in this tree for as long as they can remember, and they have lived here for many decades. This year, the Crows made their nest in the Oaktree, rather than the Ash. It is as if they knew the Ash would not be safe for their offspring. We have a lot to learn from nature. On the left our Oak tree, and on the right our Ash. In front of the Oak (left) a mature cooking apple tree which is about 16-18 feet high and currently in full blossom. April 2020. The Ash in Folklore and Myth Up on ash trees you will often spot round clusters, these are galls, distorted flower growths, caused by mites which do no serious harm to the tree. With Covid 19 restrictions still in place, many people are feeling confined and some may feel that they are spending a little too much time in their own “head space”. Is there a close-to-home natural resource within 5 kilometres that can offer you an escape from the “daily grind”- a location that offers improved health and wellbeing? The simple answer may be a nearby public forest for local walkers or your own forest for individual owners, where you can simply breathe in the fresh air, watch and listen to nature in all its abundant glories. The awakening forest Inside Croydon’s loyal readers can come together for another guided walk around Roundshaw with Sutton biodiversity officer Dave Warburton on Saturday, May 21, when we’ll be taking a closer look at the woods. There are limited places, and priority will be given to Inside Croydon patrons. Booking details will be released later this week. The “wake up” between March 20 th and the April 26 th!! (Photos: John Casey) Forest - Health benefits

The Green Man is wreathed in oak leaves.The acorn is considered a symbol of immortality and to carry one will prevent illness and ensure a long life. ElderAt night, however, it’s a different story. Instead of a rapid deactivation following sundown, the molecules gradually change from their active to inactive state. This is called ‘dark reversion’. ‘Just as mercury rises in a thermometer, the rate at which phytochromes revert to their inactive state during the night is a direct measure of temperature,’ says Wigge. So why does this matter? The problem is that ash and oak often compete for resources. Whichever trees leaf first tends to win the battle for canopy space, and ash trees are increasingly losing out. This will have a significant impact on the biodiversity of our woodlands. Hawthorn is regarded as a sacred tree, great misfortune was threatened to come to those who destroyed it. This quant old country saying is still widely known today, and whilst not a scientific way to predict summer rainfall, it does demonstrate a long-standing interest in the variability of seasons from year to year and how trees respond differently to it. But the study of phenology (nature’s reponses to seasonal changes) has been recorded by naturalists for a fair few centuries. Whilst their data isn’t as extensive, these nature diaries are valuable observations with which to compare more recent data.