A celebration of trees: December: My 2015 favourites

If William Blake was correct when he said, ‘The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself,’ then I must be a (wo)man of imagination because trees have moved me to tears of joy many times during my 2015 project to photograph a tree (or trees) every day for a year. (You can see the full album of photos here.)

The trees have inspired me with their beauty, encouraged me through their strength and resilience, sheltered me from rain and sleet, fascinated me with their history and stories, lured me along trails and pathways, and provided colour on grey days.

To close the door on this year of trees I thought I would share some of my favourites. The selection process hasn’t been easy and these are not necessarily my best photographs, but rather trees or moments in time that have touched me more deeply.

Though my project will soon end, trees will definitely continue to feature strongly in my photographic choices, and I will always treasure the time I spend amongst them.

This tree was a favourite during the time I was living in Cheshire, close to home and perfectly positioned for stunning sunsets.

This long lime avenue at Great Budworth looks beautiful in all seasons but is magical under a dusting of snow.

This is another favourite tree, perfectly positioned in the landscape, growing in a field above Pickmere lake.

Ah, Arley! I walked by this lake so many times, in all seasons, and always paused in this spot to admire the view.

This was another favourite walk, across fields on my way home after a pleasant hour or three birdwatching in the woodlands and the hides on the edge of this lake, Budworth Mere.

Though this was taken for its scary feel – the ‘Little House in the Woods’ – these woods are anything but scary, as you will see from another photograph of them below.

This was another early favourite and, once again, both close to where I was living and on a regular walking circuit.

This beech avenue at Tatton Park was originally planted in 1739 – such stately ancient trees they are.

Imagine what tales this enormous Horse Chestnut could tell. It's another of the glorious old trees at Tatton Park.

The greening of the woodlands at Marbury Country Park was a joy to see after the long cold days of winter.

Admittedly, the tree here features less than the vibrant yellow of the rape flowers but what a happy scene. It always makes me smile.

From my 10 weeks back in New Zealand in May/June/July, I’ve chosen this enormous Moreton Bay fig tree in Cornwall Park. It’s not a New Zealand native but I couldn’t resist its grandeur.

One of the many beautiful places I visited when staying with friends in Wisconsin in July, with stunning trees and the bonus of a covered bridge.

And so to my new life in Cardiff and this superb avenue of ginkgoes that runs from the castle to the mews. As you saw in my November tree blog, I have photographed these often since I moved here.

Another wonderfully geometric avenue on one of my walking circuits – these trees run across Pontcanna Fields.

This section of the Taff Trail is another of my regular walks, yet I never cease to be amazed by the beauty of the trees and the river.

From a short visit back to Cheshire and a quick re-walking of my favourite trails. These are the same trees that featured in the ‘Little House in the Woods’ above. Not at all scary now!

The towpath alongside the Trent and Mersey Canal is such a pretty place to walk, especially in the leafy green of late summer.

Back to Cardiff, to the magnificent Bute Park, to the gorgeous colours of autumn …

One final vibrant burst of colour from these trees alongside Cardiff Castle and a glorious end to my year of trees.

If you want to take a look at my monthly tree blogs, here are the links: January (one particular favourite), February (about lime avenues), March (on the subject of forests), April (about the greening of the trees in the British springtime),   May (on the New Zealand pohutukawa), June (about some of Auckland’s most notable trees), July (honouring ten wondrous trees from my international travels), August (following pathways through forests and woodlands), September (about dead trees that have been given new life), October (the beautiful colours of autumn in Cardiff), and November (the gorgeous avenue of ginkgoes in Cardiff’s Bute Park).

A celebration of trees: November: Bute Park’s ginkgo avenue

Having been around for about 200 million years, the gorgeous ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), possibly my favourite tree, is a living fossil. It was flourishing when dinosaurs roamed the earth! 

It has probably survived so long because it was considered sacred by Buddhist monks, who cultivated the tree near their temples. It also has no pests or diseases, and individual trees can live for as long as 1000 years.

The ginkgo is unique, with a fan-shaped leaf like no other tree – the shape of which accounts for its common name of Maidenhair tree, and with a fruit that smells like human vomit. Despite this revolting fact, the Chinese cook and eat it, and they use the seeds to make medicine which is supposedly good for the brain.

According to the Kew Gardens website, the first ginkgoes were planted in Britain around 1760, and one of the very first still survives:

Perhaps the most well known tree of this species is the ‘Old Lion’ west of the Princess of Wales Conservatory. This was one of the first of this species to be planted in Britain, dating back to at least 1762 – less than 40 years after the first specimens had been introduced to Europe from China. It is one of the few trees at Kew remaining from the first botanic garden started by Princess Augusta, George III's mother, in 1759.

As you will see from the photographs included below, I fell in love with this avenue of ginkgoes in Bute Park when I first moved to Cardiff four months ago and I’ve been photographing it regularly ever since, both for the vibrant green of its summer foliage and for the brilliant bright yellow of its autumn leaves. I am also drawn to the geometric lines of the planting, and the lovely building at the end is the perfect focal point. (The people who frequently appear on the benches, where I have also spent many a happy hour, are an added bonus!)

The building is now the Anthony Hopkins Centre, named for the famous actor who studied here at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, but it was originally the Castle Mews, built in 1874 to house the horses and carriages of the Marquis of Bute, who then lived in Cardiff Castle (which sits at the other end of the avenue across an old canal). After the horses moved out, the Mews buildings were used to house Bute estate workers, and later Cardiff Council’s equipment. Though the Council failed to maintain the property, the College resurrected and restored it after leasing the buildings in the 1980s.

The History Points website says the avenue had been planted with trees by 1880 and originally featured two rows of trees each side (the extra rows were later removed). But those original trees weren’t ginkgoes – the beautiful trees we see today were planted as recently as the 1950s, chosen by the Council’s Chief Parks Officer Bill Nelmes to replace the previous trees.

The ginkgoes are now one of the highlights of the magnificent Bute Park and even feature in the park’s revamped logo. Apparently, ‘The shape of the gingko tree is used to represent Bute Park as the “green heart” of Cardiff and the stylised castle and castle typography used to reinforce the importance of the relationship between the two sites.’ 

Long may Cardiff Council continue to recognise and care for these gorgeous green treasures!  

Do you love trees? Then you might like to look over my previous months’ celebrations of trees by clicking on the following links: January (one particular favourite), February (about lime avenues), March (on the subject of forests), April (about the greening of the trees in the British springtime), May (on the New Zealand pohutukawa), June (about some of Auckland’s most notable trees), July (honouring ten wondrous trees from my international travels), August (following pathways through forests and woodlands), September (about dead trees that have been given new life), and October (the beautiful colours of autumn in Cardiff).   

A celebration of trees: October: Autumn

I think it was Dr Seuss’s Lorax who said “I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues.” Well, this month I don’t need to speak for the trees – their profound autumn beauty speaks very eloquently for itself, no words required.

This has been autumn in Cardiff.

Do you love trees? Then you might like to look over my previous months’ celebrations of trees by clicking on the following links: January (one particular favourite), February (about lime avenues), March (on the subject of forests), April (about the greening of the trees in the British springtime), May (on the New Zealand pohutukawa), June (about some of Auckland’s most notable trees), July (honouring ten wondrous trees from my international travels), August (following pathways through forests and woodlands), and September (about dead trees that have been given new life)  .

A celebration of trees: September: Once were trees

This month’s celebration of trees is a little different – it’s about death.

This dead tree in Roath Park became an art installation
 for a few weeks

Okay, that’s a little dramatic. It’s about trees that are now physically dead but live on in the ways we still use them. There are hundreds of uses for dead trees, of course – they're all around us in our daily lives. As I sit writing this, I can cast an eye around my little flat and see wood in furniture and shelving, doors and window sills, kitchen utensils and books.

However, prompted by the various artworks I’ve discovered in the parks of Cardiff, I want to show you some trees that have been put to more creative uses, as statues and sculptures, as benches and as play features.

Expect for the tree on the right, the objects in my photographs can all be found in Cardiff's Bute Park, which has both a sculpture trail, where artists have frequently used dead trees from within the park to create beautiful artworks, and a discovery play trail, to introduce children to local historical and ecological themes.

Unfortunately, the information on the Bute Park website is incomplete – the interactive map doesn’t actually show all the sculptures and there are no specific details of the artworks or their creators. Hopefully, these omissions will be rectified in the near future. In the meantime, it’s a beautiful park to wander around and discover these resurrected trees for yourself.

The frog on a log was originally the frog and the fly but the fly has flown ... or been swallowed!

A knight flies on an eagle

Apple trees perhaps? Children love to clamber on this one

Sinuous dancers, on the left, and a fairy, a dog and a lizard, on the right

Is it a platypus? Is it a dinosaur? No, it’s a stag beetle.

A serpent snaking through the wood chips

A jolly green tree man

Do you love trees? Then you might like to look over my previous months’ celebrations of trees by clicking on the following links: January (one particular favourite), February (about lime avenues), March (on the subject of forests), April (about the greening of the trees in the British springtime), May (on the New Zealand pohutukawa), June (about some of Auckland’s most notable trees), July (honouring ten wondrous trees from my international travels), and August (following pathways through forests and woodlands).