There is a sizeable green belt within our city. Recently we hiked on a part of it via a trail near Fregeneuil Park, northwest of our home.
I suspect these woody 'ropes' winding up the tree trunk are girdling roots. Generally they are caused if the roots are too deep to get oxygen and water. They don't always cause difficulty for the tree, so let's hope this one will be OK.
A bit further, the path was covered with chestnuts. Les châtaignes are beloved in French cuisine. Two of my favourites are candied chestnuts and crêpes made from chestnut flour.
Several hollies were thriving in the dappled forest light.
These felled trees probably resulted from a severe storm.
At first I was certain this bush with small, dark-green leaves and plump, round, red berries, belongs either to the cotoneaster or berberis family. After doing some research and flirting with the possibility of cranberry, lingonberry, and chokecherry, I remain stumped. But not discouraged. It took decades for me to identify those 'nests' I kept seeing high in winter trees as mistletoe. I am not giving up with these berries quite as of yet.
Though tramping through a forest is great fun, it's nice to leave its brooding good looks behind for a while to enter a hilltop clearing so you can see clouds puffing over blue skies.
Cattails you say? Yup, cattails! There they were, rustling in the near distance, happily growing in boggy soil, but far from visual reach of my prime macro lens until . . .
. . . a solitary one popped up right on our path's edge. Cattail rhizomes are edible: Evidence of preserved starch grains on grinding stones suggests they were already eaten in Europe 30,000 years ago. (Wikipedia) EDIT: Though there may have been cattails and bulrushes growing together in that patch, the single specimen is a bulrush per this article explaining the differences between the two species.
Towards the end of this walk, a part of the Charente River system made an appearance and so did a swan. Having nature so close to urban development certainly is a positive, but also a chance to see how it suffers due to such proximity. I saw weakened trees, erosion, and significant trash, so much at one point, The Calm One when asked what geographical title I should give this post, he quipped, Trash City.
À la prochaine!
I suspect these woody 'ropes' winding up the tree trunk are girdling roots. Generally they are caused if the roots are too deep to get oxygen and water. They don't always cause difficulty for the tree, so let's hope this one will be OK.
A bit further, the path was covered with chestnuts. Les châtaignes are beloved in French cuisine. Two of my favourites are candied chestnuts and crêpes made from chestnut flour.
Several hollies were thriving in the dappled forest light.
These felled trees probably resulted from a severe storm.
At first I was certain this bush with small, dark-green leaves and plump, round, red berries, belongs either to the cotoneaster or berberis family. After doing some research and flirting with the possibility of cranberry, lingonberry, and chokecherry, I remain stumped. But not discouraged. It took decades for me to identify those 'nests' I kept seeing high in winter trees as mistletoe. I am not giving up with these berries quite as of yet.
Though tramping through a forest is great fun, it's nice to leave its brooding good looks behind for a while to enter a hilltop clearing so you can see clouds puffing over blue skies.
Cattails you say? Yup, cattails! There they were, rustling in the near distance, happily growing in boggy soil, but far from visual reach of my prime macro lens until . . .
. . . a solitary one popped up right on our path's edge. Cattail rhizomes are edible: Evidence of preserved starch grains on grinding stones suggests they were already eaten in Europe 30,000 years ago. (Wikipedia) EDIT: Though there may have been cattails and bulrushes growing together in that patch, the single specimen is a bulrush per this article explaining the differences between the two species.
Towards the end of this walk, a part of the Charente River system made an appearance and so did a swan. Having nature so close to urban development certainly is a positive, but also a chance to see how it suffers due to such proximity. I saw weakened trees, erosion, and significant trash, so much at one point, The Calm One when asked what geographical title I should give this post, he quipped, Trash City.
À la prochaine!
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