Autumn Gold

The bracken is down so its access all areas at Bel's Wood again.  It is a wonderful place to spend time while the rain and wind have stopped and the sun has been shining and it is glowing gold.

I am clearing brambles from overgrown paths and from around the Scots Pines.

I have marked the saplings that need to move. I will move them once they are dormant, December at the earliest. I have a good collection of Ash and Wild Cherry saplings for the first time this year.


These Ash saplings are unlikely to thrive under the canopy so I shall move many of them to more open areas. The grant does not cover planting Ash saplings due to Ash Die Back so I am pleased to have some self seed and hope that maybe the next generations will create some with resistance to this damaging disease.

  

These saplings are the first Wild Cherry self seed that I have come across and they have really taken off up this year. The photograph was taken in spring when they first emerged and I gave them mulch mats, stakes and guards. They will have come from the large and aging Wild Cherry behind. I shall thin these out leaving some in place and moving others to top up planting. I have 6 large mature Wild Cherry that give a great show of blossom in the spring and give homes & food to a wide range of wildlife. I planted 250 Wild Cherry saplings in January 2024 and many have done well. I expect a 20% failure rate so being able to top them up now is good news.

Birch, Oak and Rowan are also popping up across the site. I shall move some of these once dormant.

This oak will be moved from the Solstice Stand.


The colours are a joy across the site.

Three birches looking elegant in their autumn colours.

Spindle and Sweet Chestnut changing colours for autumn and holding on to their leaves still

The Gorse has just come into flower again adding a splash of yellow to set off the gold even further.




I took the above video at the tail end of Storm Beolo when inspecting damage. My last blog was about Willowmena who came down. The storm brought so many leaves down that the drains on the road along the Gilpin Valley were blocked creating standing water on the road.

I managed to locate the drain using a bamboo stick and get the water flowing again.

Most satisfying!



Autumn is a good time for tidying up. This fallen tree came down in Storm Arwen and I have managed to leave it lying across the beck. 

But this summer it has dropped lower requiring a lower limo than is reasonable to cross the beck!

This has been cut back which has opened up this lovely area. I am keeping some of the logs as a good place to sit and enjoy the beck.


The ever changing nature of the wood is something I relish


The oaks are holding onto their leaves and their colour matches the bracken which looks splendid gain the blue and grey sky.





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