A Walk in the Wood after the storm

[Broch]

I finally managed to get around to walking through the wood to check for damage after the recent storm. Luckily, not a lot. Just this one tree down over a fence that will be easy enough to clear up and then a couple of new posts will sort it.




This area of Wales doesn’t fall into the official ‘temperate rainforest’ designation of the woods further west and nearer the coast but, because it is on a norther facing hillside (and it does get a fair bit of rain), it does show a lot of the characteristics including a predominance of Oak and Ash, a lot of moss, fungi, lichens and ferns.




There are quite a few scraggy Elder and, where they have fallen, there are good growths of ‘Jelly Ear’ (to use it’s PC name). I have harvested and cooked these in the past but they are a bit bland so I don’t pick them unnecessarily.




OK, test time for the natural navigators out there. Based on the photo below, which direction is the right hand side of the photo pointing?

 

[mousey]

Up hill?

 

[MrEd]

I finally managed to get around to walking through the wood to check for damage after the recent storm. Luckily, not a lot. Just this one tree down over a fence that will be easy enough to clear up and then a couple of new posts will sort it.

View attachment 52700


This area of Wales doesn’t fall into the official ‘temperate rainforest’ designation of the woods further west and nearer the coast but, because it is on a norther facing hillside (and it does get a fair bit of rain), it does show a lot of the characteristics including a predominance of Oak and Ash, a lot of moss, fungi, lichens and ferns.

View attachment 52701


There are quite a few scraggy Elder and, where they have fallen, there are good growths of ‘Jelly Ear’ (to use it’s PC name). I have harvested and cooked these in the past but they are a bit bland so I don’t pick them unnecessarily.

View attachment 52702


OK, test time for the natural navigators out there. Based on the photo below, which direction is the right hand side of the photo pointing?

View attachment 52703

North?

 

[nitrambur]

Thataway

 

[crosslandkelly]

The shady side.

 

[mousey]

Well I assume you're talking about the Wales which is attached to the UK in the northern hemisphere, rather than some obscure Wales in Australia or somewhere below the equator...

 

[Le Loup]

I finally managed to get around to walking through the wood to check for damage after the recent storm. Luckily, not a lot. Just this one tree down over a fence that will be easy enough to clear up and then a couple of new posts will sort it.




This area of Wales doesn’t fall into the official ‘temperate rainforest’ designation of the woods further west and nearer the coast but, because it is on a norther facing hillside (and it does get a fair bit of rain), it does show a lot of the characteristics including a predominance of Oak and Ash, a lot of moss, fungi, lichens and ferns.




There are quite a few scraggy Elder and, where they have fallen, there are good growths of ‘Jelly Ear’ (to use it’s PC name). I have harvested and cooked these in the past but they are a bit bland so I don’t pick them unnecessarily.




OK, test time for the natural navigators out there. Based on the photo below, which direction is the right hand side of the photo pointing?

Good post Broch, thank you for sharing.
Keith.

 

[dwardo]

Nice wonder along thanks.

 

[Toddy]

Looks like a good ramble and nice woodland too. Is this the wood you're encouraging and keeping native ?

Jelly ears are good dried, then re-hydrated and cooked in foods like stir fries. Adds texture and a kind of unami taste, iimmc.
Other than that I slice them up and fry them in a little butter. I like my veggies so stir fry and stews are frequent. The jellies are good in both, again because they do keep their texture better than most fungi.

M

 

[slowworm]

You'll need to be out checking again this week. Do you ever find nothing down after a storm but stuff down a few days later? That can happen here, I assume the storm weakens the tree and after a few days some lighter winds force it over.

 

[Broch]

Looks like a good ramble and nice woodland too. Is this the wood you're encouraging and keeping native ?

Yes it is. I'll do a more 'complete' photo walk-through a bit later in the year

You'll need to be out checking again this week. Do you ever find nothing down after a storm but stuff down a few days later?

Yes definitely. We have a number of large leaning trees that have been like it for a few years - they could come down at any time!

 

[Broch]

The only real answer to the question of the direction of the photo is "you can't tell". If you look at the second photo there's a tree in the background with the moss a full 180 degrees opposite to the last photo. The moss on the last photo is actually pointing South, on the second photo it points North. Just ignore moss on trees for navigation! This is another myth perpetuated by course leaders who were told it when they were learning and even 'natural navigation' books (together with other myths such as boiled water is safe )

 

[mousey]

I always thought that broadly speaking it is true. I.e. look at more than one tree, and look for other signs, prevailing wind [which direction are trees blow down] which way are the thickest branches pointing etc, to backup rather than rely on one piece of evidence...

I did think it odd you said the hill was north facing yet the last photo showed a south facing hill [according to the moss]