#tree project

[oh-a-very-toxic-octopus]

Unexpected resident of pinus sylvestris.

[oh-a-very-toxic-octopus]

Fallen ash Saturday.

[quadrant-1]

GROUP ACTIVITY IN CESC

The smile of success will be seen if everyone works together.

[oh-a-very-toxic-octopus]

We spent so much time on the house this year that the field is wildly overgrown. I am terrible at taking before and after photos, but here's a day of chop chopping through all the raspberry cane that's trying to encroach on our hard standing — and our trees.

Just uh over two acres of brush left to clear over several evenings after work.

I love this work but I don't love the time constraints.

[oh-a-very-toxic-octopus]

Today, Max and I have been liberating some overgrown willow saplings.

The helper.

A willow before and after.

We reached a huge bank of brambles and bracken, and I was sure nothing would be alive within it. Was gonna leave it and mulch the lot with the mower tomorrow.

But then. Then I spotted a leaf.

The willow lives (just about).

Many rescued souls.

[oh-a-very-toxic-octopus]

Found two of these new friends. Think they're puss moth caterpillars. This one is about to fuck my tiny poplar's shit up; I am quite conflicted about it. The other one is eating our biggest poplar, which I feel can take the heat.

[oh-a-very-toxic-octopus]

March 2021: initial planting

June 2021: first growth

September 2021: first growing season complete

July 2022: starting to escape the grass

May 2023: new shoots

December 2023: year's growth complete

April 2024: jussst starting to shoot.

June 2024: best growing season we've ever had. Dog now useless for scale — several trees are over 2.5m tall

[oh-a-very-toxic-octopus]

Mild hedging efforts. My tactic at the moment is to pull all the new saplings from the forestry track out back (where they're doomed whatever happens) whenever I walk Max, and then we stick them in this hedgerow. The pic only captures the first fifth of the row; it's pretty long overall.