National Tree Week - the hard working Yews

It is National Tree week in the UK from from 25th November - 3rd December so I have decided to blog about some of my favourite trees telling some of the stories attached to them. This one is about the hard working yew trees on site. I have blogged about the three mature oaks at the wood, a rowan tree that is special to me, praised the gorse on site and told the story of Agnes the hawthorn tree. Check back in to see the other blogs which celebrate trees during National Tree Week.

https://treecouncil.org.uk/seasonal-campaigns/national-tree-week/

There are just 3 yew trees at the wood. Two large and a teenager. Yew trees are distinctive and give all year round colour as ever greens and produce flowers in spring and berries in autumn which feed the birds and small mammals.

Since they are ever green I have found the two large ones to be helpful as providing shelter. One I use as my wood store and place to keep cooking equipment and tools. When visitors come they have two reactions. First they think of Robinson Crusoe and secondly they ask when I am going to install a shed. I also get some feedback that it looks untidy with suggestions that I could make some elegant screens from willow or the like - that may happen one day! So far I find this a practical arrangement. This yew is living side by side with a lovely Whitebeam.

The second yew supports one end of my hammock in Camp1. I called the area Camp1 when I found two trees the right distance apart to hang my hammock which were not over bog or overwhelmed with blackthorn, hawthorn or gorse. I have never found another site ie Camp2! Maybe over time one of the newly trees will grow into this role but not in my life time I don't think. I have probably spent the longest time in total here sleeping out about once a month and having friends visit for a cook outs from time to time.

The hammock sits between the yew and a mature ash tree. I have ash die back at the wood but this tree looks healthy and holds up the other end of the hammock safely. Both trees are full of birdsong especially in spring of course and that is a lovely way to start any day.

  

Roasting marshmallows with friends

The third one is younger and surrounded by gorse, brambles and brash so I have not found a function for it yet.

Below the tree there are holes at the bottom of the brash  which are well used badger runs as they return to their nearby setts.

I placed the camera there once to see what went on but the badgers were not happy and knocked the camera down so I haven't placed it there again! I learned quickly not to point the camera directly at badger setts as it clearly disturbed them but usually on trees they pick up the badgers going about their business but they weren't having this position!

Their berries are poisonous to humans but act as a good source of nutrition for birds and mammals

Nuthatch

Great tit

 Thrush

Tawny owl hiding on the yew branch successfully hunting for a mouse.

Robin

There are always plenty of brown mice in the yew tree but on one occasion I picked up this shrew. You can see him using his long snout especially near the end of the reel.

Yew trees are native to Cumbria and there are woods which are 100% yew as they out compete native deciduous trees. Where most trees grow together and move away from one another as they find the light. yew trees grow towards other trees and can in time, push them over. I did not include them in my planting plan for this reason. However I am fond of yew trees. As a child I would climb what we called the 'Smoky Tree' along with my three siblings with me on the lowest branch and the others above me. It got its name as it produced a yellow smoke in summer. I now know that that is the pollen from a yew tree being released into the air. Here is the yew tree in flower in early March but no signs of it smoking here - too cold!

        

I have planted about 8 tiny yew trees with a donation from my brother as his contribution to Queen Elizabeth II 70th Jubilee. All three mature yew trees are at the same level on the site so I have added the new ones ion line with the current ones as that seems to make them. Adding these few extras should help with natural regeneration of yews but hopefully not lead them to dominate.