Winter twigs - photo ID from Hainault Forest website

[Jodie]

This is the moment I wish I had a colour printer (or indeed any printer) at home as this
would be great to take with me as I prepare for a mini bimble to Greenwich park to see
what's there.

I think it's rather useful and I don't think a similar thing features in any of my books. Of
course plenty of books include a twig drawing or photo but they are within the plant's own
page, not arranged for easy comparison like this. Flowers and leaves are what I'd find
most easy to use in identification so this looks like quite a fun challenge.

Winter twigs
http://www.hainaultforest.co.uk/3Winter twigs.htm

The Hainault Forest website (fab!) has appeared a couple of times already on the forum.
I have already mentioned their tree identification pages but I think they're worth reposting
the link.

Tree identification
http://www.hainaultforest.co.uk/55Treeidentification_index.htm

Hainault Forest free events Feb-May 07 (posted by Glen)
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18486

Forest flowers by season / tree ID website - Hainault forest (posted by me)
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23306

Right... off I go to spot trees and things

I see they also do orienteering but this page has exactly what I want from a map

Winter walk
http://www.hainaultforest.co.uk/7Winter walk.htm

I would not get lost with that level of detail, but see my earlier bleatings on how hopeless
I am at map reading (I am not being self deprecating - I am brilliant at many other things )

Map coordinate sheet help
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27286

 

[Humpback]

Jodie
Excellent pointer. Printed off the twigs to laminate as they are just what I need.
PM your address and I'll send you a set if you like (not sure if the printer thing is temporary or not).
Alan

 

[Jodie]

You are very kind but I have a colour printer at work, but thank you for the offer anyway
Come to think of it laminating's not a bad idea.

Today I managed to identify by bud alone what I think is a road full of horse chestnuts. I
am going to keep my beadies on that road over the coming months and see if the leaves
and the appearance of chestnuts gives it away! I'm pretty confident with the London
planes - their flowers (those weird Christmas decoration things) and bark make it one
of the easiest trees and they are all over Trafalgar Square so I see them every day really.

Took loads of reasonably poor quality photos of bits of 'wasteland' (overgrown garage
forecourts and bits of land that I'd otherwise not notice) to try and get some pictures of
leaves to ID later. Found loads of goosegrass - it's extremely pretty. Probably got some
odd looks from the people walking past me. I also discovered two Asda trolleys neatly
parked together on one of the bits of land which made me laugh. I'm used to seeing just
the one abandoned somewhere but two together looked like someone was trying to start
a line

Here's another one for the laminator:
Leaves
http://www.hainaultforest.co.uk/3Leaves project.htm

It seems that the Hainault web page is actually the personal homepage of one guy - I
might have to tell him how much I've been enjoying it.

 

[Glen]

It seems that the Hainault web page is actually the personal homepage of one guy - I
might have to tell him how much I've been enjoying it.

That'd be Brian Ecott, who's doing the Winter Tree Identification Walk on the 27th. I went on one 2-3 year ago with him and he's very good, I'll probably get to the one this year partly to find out how much I did and didn't remember

If you intend going I recomend taking along a small monocular/binoculars, actually a camera with zoom might do the trick.

 

[Jodie]

Today I found myself in Greenwich park with the printout of the winter twigs and I ambled
around for a couple of hours spotting limes, horse chestnuts, sweet chestnuts (I think),
oak, turkey oak and possibly a sallow. There was also a tree whose twigs seemed
slightly like bird cherry but it was such a massive tree with such strange bark that I think
it must have been something else and I was just trying too hard to match it to the list!
The bark had diagnonal-like patterns in it - I think I need to have my tree book to hand
in future.

Also plenty of London planes but their bark gives them away, and those baubles.

Found some other ID-helpful sites...

The Trees and Shrubs Website - from Science and Plants for Schools
http://www-saps.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/trees/
- it's not the sort of thing you can print out easily though, more for having your pictures
or samples of tree with you and you can go through an either / or list to work your way
through various options.

A guide to tree identification
http://www.woodlands.co.uk/owning-a-wood/tree-identification/

Treemendous

 

[spamel]

If I was you, I'd spend my life in Kew Gardens! I went this time last year and absolutely loved it. Highlight of the day was either the beautiful golden pheasants or the monkey puzzle, my favourite tree!

Edit: In fact, London has some fantastic places. I stayed with friends in Barnet and we went to a bird of prey place one weekend. This little chappie lived on the ledge on the door into the barn and hopped onto my arm whilst I was closing the door! I couldn't get him to hop back off again and he started to fall asleep! I fell in love with the little rascal straight away, I wish i could have kept the little bundle of feathers!

 

[Jodie]

What an unusual photo! That's fantastic

I do spend a goodly amount of time at Kew

Was going to go to Richmond tomorrow and see trees (original plan) but I did a lot of
walking around today and I'm pretty tired - might see how I feel tomorrow. I certainly
did LOOK at a lot of trees today, rather than just see them in passing.

 

[spamel]

You can see the door just behind me with the ledge that the owl sits on. You can't see it, but there is a square hole in the door covered with chicken wire and the owl was sat looking out all the time. I've no idea why it hopped on my arm, maybe it is just my animal magnetism!