What a difference a tree makes

Wednesday. August 30, 2023 - 2 mins

A couple weeks ago, a close by tree came down in a violent storm, cutting the back lane into two. Yesterday it was chopped up and removed by a couple of tree surgeons, clearing the lane and the tree from our lives.

It’s a slightly sad moment for a bunch of reasons.

The tree was planted in a community space by my partners grandad. Why? To block the line of sight between our house and a new housing construction being built many decades ago. Luckily for us, he was a two is one kinda guy, and planted another behind it. That doesn’t mean its not sad to see a part of his legacy dissapear from our lives.

The tree loomed over the bottom of our garden, providing the perfect pirch for birds. If you saw my Midi Birds talk, roughly a third of the critters recorded at home were sat in this tree. The difference in soundscape is noticeable at all moments of the day, but particularly at sunrise.

It’ll change the visitors who come to the garden too. The Sparrowhawk, one of the more unusual regulars, occasionally hung out in the ivy growning up the tree. This gave a clear line of sight to the seed feeding platform. Without the tree, the buffet is over. The magpie could watch over a handful of gadens. The small birds sand whilst clinging to the dead branches poking though the canopy. So many feathered friends used to do so much in that tree.

But there are some plusses.

In the depths of winter the bottom veg bed will get a good chunk more sunlight, along with the green house. Though this has never been a problem, it is a bonus and should improve growing in the area.

Similarly, the extra sunshine will help reduce the general winter dampness around the platinum patio is another bonus. . . although our selection of shade loving plants may need moving over time.

So is the fact that the tree will be ground down and ultimately end up as compost to improve the garden of others. Knowing Grandad-in-law, he’d be happy enough with this alone being the end of this thread of legacy. He did love a good mulch.

For the neighborhood, they now have the opportunity to glance at my naked form from a distance as I dart from the shower to the bedroom. Only if the lighting conditions and their position in the street are just right.

Lucky them.