Monday 20th July, 2009

Out on the moors: to Pike Lowe and beyond! (Part One)

By Ash

I went out on the moors on Saturday with the intention of making Pike Lowe, and, if I had the time, of finding the mythical waterfall far up the Ewden Beck...

First checkpoint: the Lonely Oak of Whitwell Moor.

It doesn’t appear to be doing too well, our Lonely one. Most of its leaves are crinkled and ragged-looking, whereas the rest of the oaks I saw on my ramble were all healthy. So it’s not a weather thing. I couldn’t find a single developing acorn on any of the oaks, which is disappointing as I was thinking of planting some for treeblog Set D. The red balls on the leaf in the photo are galls.

A Jew’s ear (Auricularia auricular-judae) –like fungus growing on a dead branch attached to a living English oak (Quercus robur) in Millstones Wood.

Also in Millstones Wood, a beast of a beech (Fagus sylvatica). This looks like an old coppice to me. There may not be any acorns this year, but there’s no shortage of beechnuts: the floor was covered with cupules!

Leaving the wood behind, I was confronted with a field full of near fully grown cattle. I had to pass within a metre of these two, but they seemed completely indifferent to my presence. I was glad to avoid a trampling! Broomhead Hall Farm can be seen across the valley in the background.

Developing hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) fruit, or haws. The hawthorns hereabouts were in full flower at the end of May / beginning of June.

Looking back across the moors to Millstones Wood from near the summit of Pike Lowe, just over an hours walk away!

The cairn on the summit of Pike Lowe (OS grid. ref. SK 208 974 or 53.4726° N, 1.6865° W), 476 metres above sea level. So close to civilisation, yet so isolated.

tags: European beech + fungi + galls + hawthorn + oak + photos

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6 comments for Out on the moors: to Pike Lowe and beyond! (Part One)

Reece

21 Jul 2009 09:26:59

Ash - are you sure the developing acorns aren't just near the tops of the trees? i find it hard to believe that some fully grown oaks have no acorns on them. the lower branches could be young. i have noticed oaks have a tendency to grow random branches out of the trunk. even if there are actually no acorns, there shouldn't be a shortage of hazelnuts. there's loads up here where i am (there's also loads of acorns where i am)!

Kalle B.

22 Jul 2009 16:19:40

That was really a beast of a beach, I havn't seen anything like it. Wouldn't even recognize it as a beach tree just from the picture.
Even in western Sweden we have a lot of beachnuts this year. Guess it's because of the weather, it isn't that far over to Scotland from here.

Dave

22 Jul 2009 19:00:18

Amazing photographs! I especially like the one with the cows. Very good composition.

Ash

22 Jul 2009 21:16:20

Reece - I couldn't be sure if there were acorns in the treetops. It was hard enough to make out whether or not there were any lower down it was so windy, but I satisfied myself that there weren't any lower down (on some fairly hefty branches) on the trees I checked. I'll have a better look the next time I'm out!
Kalle - There are a few beeches of that size in Millstones Wood; not very tall, but quite big around the trunk. Down in the bottom of the valley between the wood and Pike Lowe, in some private woodland by the river, there are some stupendously huge beeches: even bigger girthed and incredibly tall.
Dave - Thank-you. The cows were very docile and didn't mind having their picture taken at all!

Reece

21 Sep 2009 19:37:51

Ash - i have another theory. were the oak trees you checked for acorns on their own? apparently, wind pollinated trees need another couple of trees that are the same species nearby, because pollen can easily drift away unless it gets caught on a female flower. oak trees also have the path blocked enough to stop self fertilisation in many cases. if the oaks are all together, i have nothing else to say on this subject.

Ash

22 Sep 2009 22:42:29

The oaks were either in woodland or on moorland with other oaks nearby. The most isolated oak was the Lonely Oak, but it would be well within pollination range (I remember finding an old acorn cup - maybe one of last year's - under it). This was two months ago though, so there may be acorns now.
It's interesting how certain plants prevent self-polination while others don't.

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