It's an entrancing time of year for trees. Where I live few buds have opened. (There's one hawthorn which unfailingly starts ahead of the others and its branches are already spattered with tiny leaves.)
But skies are often blue now instead of grey and the sunlight shining between the mostly bare branches is tinted with streaks of gold instead of the uniform silver we've been used to since the end of autumn. It's cold though. Indeed, it seems colder than it has been for ages.
Birds are singing - and magpies doing voice impersonations of woodpeckers which is confusing and a little disappointing!
And here we are with the March link box for Tree Following posts. Keep going folks! Your tree may not be 'doing' much yet. It depends a lot on where you are. Some Tree Followers are taking the moment to find out the history of their tree, or how it grows, personal associations or the birds and animals which use it. It's fascinating. And there may well be interesting things going on at the base of your tree's trunk.
I came across this thin branch which had fallen into a woodland stream.
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| You may like to enlarge this to see the Jelly Ear in more detail. When I put the picture on iSpot people mentioned the white that looks like paint is a fungus too. (Though what?) The photo was taken on March 3rd 2015 in the gloom of a woodland stream with no golden sunlight. |
The brown fungi growing along it are Jelly Ear / Jew's Ear / Judas' Ear / Auricularia auricula-judae. If you'd like to know more about this fungus and its odd name, I wrote a post about it in April 2013. That was growing on an elderberry tree but it grows on other trees too. (Or you could go to the fount of all wisdom (!) Wikipedia.)
Click Here for Posts in the March Link Box
With thanks to Mister Linky's Magical Gadgets which provides the boxes.
34 comments:
Hi Lucy, I can't see the link box to add my post.
Hello Eileen. No. It's not there. The link box tool site is down. I imagine once it is up and running the box will appear as if by magic on Loose and Leafy. Apologies. Because I'd set the time for it to appear I didn't realise it hadn't until I turned on just now.
In the meantime, there's nothing we can do about it but wait!
(Because all links to posts over the last year are stored on the same site - they've all vanished from the links to them on this blog too. I hope this isn't a HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! situation!)
Thanks for letting me know Lucy.
Eileen. Thanks for returning with your link. Great relief that link providing site is up and running again and the Tree Following link box has now appeared. Now I'm hoping it doesn't go down again!
Yes, Lucy, as you will see, all seems to be working (though my blog always takes about 6 minutes to appear, having come up with the strange message 'Null' in the meantime!). What a relief for you that all is working.
Still deep in winter snow and temps 20 degrees below normal so I have a picture of my tree in its icy glory...sorry it is in the middle of a long post about the garden. Next month I will start my new tree.
Hello Lucy
I am posting to Tree Following for the first time. My tree is the Ornamental Pear, "Bradford."
Pyrus calleryana is its scientific name.
I am sure I am going to enjoy this meme. Thanks for hosting!
Lea
Lea's Menagerie
Mississippi, United States
Hi Lucy, all up and running, I have to been fooled by a few Magpies this week, thinking they were Woodpeckers. My tree is a little behind compared to last year, but the sun we have had to day should bring it on super fast.
Amanda xxx
Looks like I'm following a willow now. A tree blooming in February in Wyoming is irresistible!
Fungi and lichen--so beautiful, ancient and, somehow, life affirming.
That jelly ear is bizarre but very interesting!
I am definitely seeing changes to my young alive Oak in Texas this month, thanks for hosting!
I'm glad you've chosen a tree that will change during the year although I was always wondering what you were going to write about next. I have to admit I was totally impressed when you wrote about seeing the reflection of a blue building in the tiny bit of sap bubbled out of the tree...now that was taking observation to a whole new level. :)
I'm starting out another mystery tree. The bark looks a little like an alder tree, but the shape doesn't. I've asked around but no one seems to know, although some one did suggest a cottonwood tree. That seemed too strange, but we will find out when the leaves form.
The brown ear fungus looks the stuff of nightmares, I shall dream of trees with ears.
Thanks for hosting this meme again Lucy.
It's certainly been useful watching my little tree like this - I have been noticing features I hadn't thought about before. Thanks for hosting, Lucy
Great post and nice picture! I love lichens, molds, fungi, etc. They're so interesting to study. Wish my tree had a few of these!
That's a very imposing picture Lucy - the sky is sooooo blue! Well captured.
Fungus is fascinating isn't it. Often easy to miss too.
Thanks for hosting and I'm off now to see what others have going on with their chosen trees.
Thanks for the inspiration Lucy. My tree looks exactly as it did last month, and am wondering what to do. Will go and think hard tomorrow! Blue skies and tree trunks - can't go wrong!
Hi Lucy, I meant to start with the meme back in January and... couldn't decide what tree! Here is my first post on one next door (Parkinsonia floridum). Thanks!
Hi Lucy, My bird cherry is getting off to a very slow start but first flowers just out this week. Hurry up spring!
Val Littlewood
Where did that month go! Not an awful lot of action here, but I have every faith that next month it will be all go, go, go!
I love this time of year when Spring is definitely ..... springing and new growth coming through .....
All the best Jan
My tree still looks all wintry - maybe next month I'll see more definite signs of spring!
I have more lichen than fungi where my trees grow so I enjoyed seeing your photos.
I missed last month as I was late posting my photos for Feb. Good to be joining in again and seeing everyone else's trees. Hopefully we will see more change in the approaching months.
Lucy, inspired by Tree Following, I nominate you for a very Inspiring Blogger Award here.
Lucy, what are you telling your brown ear fungus? Or do you refuse to talk to it?
I'm using photos that I have posted previously, and this annoys me. But they are all I have access to at the moment, and I don't want to miss a month of tree following.
It's still snowy in Quebec but at least the sun is shining.
Spring is on its way here in Cardiff! Thanks again for encouraging us all to observe the seasons more closely.
I love your jelly ears! I think they are the same species I used to buy dried from the Chinese supermarket for stir-fries. Then I called them wood ears or tree ears, but they certainly became jelly-like again when soaked.
All the best :)
I really enjoyed last year's tree following so I am back this year with a new tree. Thank you so much for hosting.
I discovered tree following just yesterday and I think it is a great idea! So I took some photos of my quince tree this morning and posted them on my garden blog. Since it is my first year in this garden, it will be an interesting journes with the tree for all of us.
What with Lent,computer down time and packing for a short break, just managed to squeeze my Lime/Linden tree(s) post in - mostly inert even with our warm winter
That's a most atmospheric photo at the top of your post Lucy. I've come across "Jelly Ear' in the garden growing on what was a most unhappy buddleia. It's a most spooky but interesting fungus. Thanks as always for hosting.
Sorry to have vanished. The mouse-pad on my laptop isn't working properly. This has happened before but each time it's rectified itself after a while. This time it's staying not-working so I'll have to send it away to be mended.
When it comes back, I'll catch up with all your posts and add the details of new Tree Followers to the Following Page.
http://looseandleafy.blogspot.co.uk/p/what-is-tree-following-and-list-of-tree.html
I can read emails on my phone but I've never had a smart phone before and the auto-correct keeps playing jokes on me. As a result I've sent some pretty bizarre replies so, on the whole, I'll wait till the computer is mended before I try to write much but if I do email you over the next bit, please forgive me if you can't make head or tail of what I'm saying.
Best wishes. Might be gone-ish for as long as two weeks. Depends on who I find to mend it and how long it takes.
Best wishes.
Lucy
Hi Lucy,
I just left the link to my new post for March, although there still isn't much to see! Spring is on the way here though and I hope some leaf buds will be visible soon. Thanks Lucy.
Cathy at wordsandherbs
Buds are just breaking on my tree, I have posted some pictures of bark for some extra interest. Hope you get the mouse pad sorted soon.
Hope your mousepad is fixed soon - but I suspect it can lead to some amusing replies, hopefully none too harmful.
I'm late again (sorry - I just don't know where time went) and will include my link here: http://www.lifeat139a.com/139a/2015/3/16/meanwhile-back-at-the-tree
will def try harder next month! x
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