Did you know that Durnford Street, Plymouth was once the location of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of the great fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes? In 1882 he practiced medicine for a short time here. Well, we went on our own investigation to see what urban wild plants we could find on this famous street. 🔎👀 🌿

Unfortunately, a harshly pollarded tree in the church grounds upset a local lady who spoke to us about it. She said:

“It (Hawthorn) was just coming into flower; it was beautiful last year, but look how they’ve pollarded it! I doubt it will recover from this; they have left it as a stump.”                                         

Pollarding is a controversial issue, particularly when it’s been carried out so extensively it appears to have killed the tree!  Education is clearly needed. .   

“Common hawthorn can support hundreds of other species. It is the foodplant for caterpillars of moths, including the hawthorn, orchard ermine, pear leaf blister, rhomboid tortrix, light emerald, lackey, vapourer, fruitlet-mining tortrix, small eggar and lappet moths. Its flowers are eaten by dormice and provide nectar and pollen for bees and other pollinating insects. The haws are rich in antioxidants and are eaten by migrating birds, such as redwings, fieldfares and thrushes, as well as small mammals.” Thanks to the Woodland Trust for this information.

‘Eco Churches’ is a UK organisation to support churches to protect nature through a range of ethical and environmental practices. https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/                     If you live near a church perhaps recommend them to connect with this  website.  If you are outside the UK then check out A Rocha which is the international organisation. For surely, ‘ all things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small‘ need protecting now 🙂👍

Here are some amazing biodiversity facts about Ivy! If you’re not a fan you need to read this:

“Ivy is particularly important to many insects before they go into hibernation. Some of the main insect species which forage on the nectar and pollen of ivy are bees, hoverflies and wasps. It is an important food plant for some butterfly and moth larvae such as holly blue, small dusty wave, angle shades and swallow-tailed moth.

Nectar, pollen and berries of ivy are an essential food source for insects and birds, especially during autumn and winter when little else is about. It also provides shelter for insects, birds, bats and other small mammals. The high fat content of the berries is a nutritious food resource for birds and the berries are eaten by a range of species including thrushes, blackcaps, woodpigeons and blackbirds.

Many rare insects are attracted to ivy flowers, including the golden hoverfly.

Thanks to https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants/wild-flowers/ivy/ for the information 🙂👍

Lovely pink flowers loved by many pollinators 🐝🦋🐝🦋

The Smooth Sowthistle has many common names, including Common Sowthistle and Puha in New Zealand 🙂

The delicate floral scent of the Sweet Alyssum is believed to have a calming effect on the mind and reduces anxiety.

Orchard grass is an important food source for Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown butterfly caterpillars 🦋🦋🦋🦋 and many species of finches 🐦🐦🐦                             

But here’s another amazing fact; are you ready?

Honeybees 🐝🐝🐝🐝often favour the pollen of Orchard grass to many wildflowers 🌼🌺🌸 Wow, what a cool fact! 😲

Now here’s a thing:  shouldn’t the apostrophe be placed as I have written it, meaning the joy of travellers (plural)?  However, many books and websites write it as Traveller’s Joy, being the joy of just one traveller…hmm… Who is this traveller? 🤔

I hope you like and appreciate these little drawings our Rebels are creating for you. They are getting very arty you know 😉

Did you know (I bet you don’t 🤣) that the word Taraxacum derives from the Arabic tarakhshaqūn, meaning “bitter herb”.  However, the Persian 10th Century polymath, Al-Razi,  used this same word in relation to dandelions, chicory, and endives, which suggests the word is originally Persian.  He wrote “the tarakhshaqūn is like chicory, but more efficacious”.  (Info from: Wikipedia)

Oh, what a great word – efficacious!  I think we should use it more often, don’t you? 😉

Introduced before 1600 and naturalised, this plant is really important to many pollinators: bees, butterflies and moths.

Next photo shows the flower…

Named after a village in the province of Trieste, in Italy, Prosecco is a drink…Hang on!  This isn’t a wild plant, it’s not even the drink! It is, in fact, the bottle left as litter!

Who’s been irresponsible enough to leave an empty bottle on a wall, which could easily fall, break and cause a health and safety risk to walkers and, particularly, dogs’ paws? Grr!

Did you know in 2020 the UK generated 191 million tonnes of waste (www.gov.uk) but in 2024 that figure rose to 215 million tonnes (www.wastedirect.co.uk)?

That’s a shocking statistic, particularly with the rise of litter pickers, trying to raise awareness! Let’s keep our streets tidy everyone, reduce packaging, and pass the message on. 👍Thanks for reading and sharing 🙂

On Friday, 16th May we turned up to a site in Plympton, Plymouth responding to an urgent plea that lots of trees were being chopped down and nesting birds were possibly in danger. Could we stop it?  Well, we knew nothing about this and neither did anyone else we contacted in our ‘tree caring’ community. So, armed only with good advice and a passion for protecting nature, we responded.

The neighbours living close by these trees had not been informed of this action. As one resident said when we arrived: “you hear the chainsaws and you immediately think ‘Armada Way’, they’re going to cut the whole lot!”  It seems the shock waves from that event are still very much felt by people in Plymouth.

Before going over to speak to the chainsaw handlers, we watched. Looking through binoculars, we searched for nests but couldn’t see any, which was a relief. As we watched, total destruction was not unfolding, rather careful lopping of branches of one particular species, European Ash: Fraxinus excelsior.

We edged towards the barrier and beckoned to the workmen. It was clear from their initial body language they expected confrontation, but quickly realised that was not our agenda and very soon we were having a very productive conversation. They invited us behind the barrier and showed us exactly what they were doing. Contracted in by the council, these tree surgeons had removed 5 Ash trees that had Ash die-back. Was that necessary? Could these trees have been saved by just removing affected branches?  It seemed not. The trunk pieces they showed us were black throughout the heartwood and placing his finger between the blackened wood and outer layer, it crumbled away. Other trees not so badly affected were having branches lopped to save the tree. Amongst the ash trees, other species like Sycamore were untouched.

What about nesting birds? Was it really acceptable to be doing this during nesting season? He assured us they had checked for nests and hadn’t found any, but he did admit that it was a disruption for birds generally to have this activity and noise happening in their habitat.
Could this not be done outside of this season? He responded with honesty:  yes it could and it would be better for wildlife, but for us we’d have no income coming in during those months. The neighbour then responded that if more frequent checks were made, rather than leaving the trees for so long, then the remedial work would not be so intensive. This would also mean the tree surgeons would still have work throughout the year. That decision isn’t theirs though, it’s a council one.

The tree surgeons apologised that the neighbours hadn’t been informed but said they couldn’t be responsible for this. We agreed. The council have contracted them for the job and surely it’s their responsibility to also inform local residents that this would be happening. Yet, apparently, the council doesn’t have to because “the trees belong to them not the neighbours”. Though surely with the branches being so close and the level of noise, it would be respectful to contact them? Also, the initial stress caused to the community thinking they were going to lose all their trees would easily have been avoided if communication had been made.

It’s never good to see trees being cut. Ash die-back is a dreadful disease, though sometimes the tree is able to fight back and survive. With this knowledge, less trees are being cut down and more are being cared for. In this situation, it seemed the disease had gone too far to save the five but, hopefully, the rest will recover.

We left with handshakes and reciprocal smiles, our caller was relieved and happy to pass this on to other local residents. However, it appears that a complete lack of information from the council to its community had created the initial panic. So, please:

“All we need to do is make sure we keep talking”  (Stephen Hawking, 1993).  By talking we are keeping the channels open to communicating, collaborating and learning.

This post is dedicated to the five 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳

We meet at the City Puzzle Garden in Plymouth. It’s situated next to a busy shopping centre; but why, we wondered, is it so named…A puzzle indeed, until we read the sign.

That bottom left red piece tells the tale. This little urban green space is only temporary and earmarked for development, it seems. The layout has been designed in 9 sections, we presume, as the sign illustrates, with the idea that each section will be relocated elsewhere when, or if, building work starts. We consider if this would actually happen in practice, but rather hope that development does not take hold and swallow up yet another wild patch.

Cranesbill

And then it was our turn… Scrumptious tahini vegan biscuits and custard cookies, yummy 😋 Happy Christmas.

After our visit to Cabilla, Guy Shrubsole, author of the Lost Rainforests of Britain book, said: “Have you been to Dizzard yet, it’s even bigger?”  Dizzard…? Where’s Dizzard…? And so the investigation began on this North Cornwall temperate rainforest.

We headed for our destination, on the coastline, near Millook, with its stunning chevron rock formations,which are also well worth a visit. 

Our walk started over a stile and across a field.

The name Dizzard comes from the Cornish word, Dyserth, meaning very steep and perhaps it is due to its steep cliff location, beside the sea, that it has survived centuries of human destruction.

In the 8th century, more than 25% of England had woodland cover, imagine that; now those ancient woodlands have reduced to only 2.5%. Ancient woodlands are documented as those having existed continuously since the 17th century; this continuity adding greatly to the amount of stored carbon and the incredible understory entanglement of the mycorrhizal network, which inextricably links tree roots and fungi in a symbiotic relationship.

When we look at the gnarly twisted intricacy of the ancient trees above ground, we can only imagine the development of life below, beneath our feet.

My phone’s camera, hi-tech though it is, cannot capture the living beauty of such a place: the smells, temperature, textures – the holistic sensorial experience of being at one with such an ancient undisturbed place. However, the visual record will serve to share its aesthetic existence.

You can’t mistake an ancient woodland from a veteran woodland, though both are incredible wildlife spaces providing a wealth of varied benefit to the environment. Arriving at the edge of Dizzard, the strange branching shapes resemble the Ancient Greek Gorgons: Medusa, Euryale and Stheno, with their hair of snakes writhing wildly from their heads.

We tread slowly and carefully, checking for any new life popping its head up through the thick soft carpet of fallen leaves, and wander in wonder at the tree branches coated in velvet green mosses.

Epiphytes are abundant: mosses, lichen, fungi, polypody ferns and tiny creatures nestled between; it’s life on life on life.

Lobaria pulmonaria (Tree Lungwort)

These strange and stunning woodlands are essential in our fight to prevent further climate warming, as they sequester and store atmospheric carbon.

The Woodland Trust states: “The entire woodland ecosystem plays a huge role in locking up hundreds of millions of tonnes of carbon, including the living wood, roots, leaves, deadwood, surrounding soils and its associated vegetation.” 

There can be no just reason for destroying any healthy tree, whether ancient, veteran, rural or urban, wouldn’t you agree? 🙂🌳

This little poem, written in 1557 by Thomas Tucker, identified the seasonal British weather; although, I think we could all agree that, this year those “sweet April showers” were more like deluges at times!  Such is the effect of climate warming: less predictable and more dramatic.

Today, with the May sunshine to warm us, we went for a short walk along the 630- mile Southwest Coast Path. It is the longest national trail in the UK, with free access to all.

Red Valerian or Spur Valerian, Centranthus ruber, blooms flowers of red, pink and white. Although a non-native, it has established itself well with many pollinators.

A widespread grassland native, it is also known as Eggs and Bacon or Tom Thumb. Get up close and take a look; the flowers are attractive in colour and design.

In the Stonecrop family, this plant is distinguished by its dimpled leaves. They are also known as Penny Pies.  Can you guess what our Rebel is starting to label?

A: Wild Carrot 🥕😁

Characterised by thick fleshy leaves 🍃

Flavoparmelia baltimorensis

A close up of the Common broomrape – interesting how it gets its name, one for you to research.

This is one flower we saw. Can you guess what it is? 

A: Cymbalaria muralis 🙂

Thank you for reading this post. We hope you enjoyed it, as much as we loved doing it 😂👍🌼🌼🌼 See you next time.

If you think tree huggers are ‘hippy- dippy time-wasters’ think again! This term is often, and incorrectly, used as a flippant pejorative, but it stems from a story of stunning defiance and vicious bloodshed.

The true etymology of this phrase comes from the courageous souls who laid down their lives to save the lives of others: the living, breathing and life-supporting beings that are  trees.

In 1730, 363 Bishnois people in India were brutally killed while trying to protect the trees, in their village, from being turned into the raw material for building a palace. They literally clung to the trees while being slaughtered by the soldiers.

Amrita Devi and her 3 daughters were the first to die, by being beheaded, by the soldiers, sent by the King of Jodhpur to cut down the Khejri trees with their axes. Amrita ran to stop the felling when she realised what was happening. She hugged one of the trees to protect it from the blows and begged them to stop, but the soldiers took to violence and struck her with an axe. When her three daughters witnessed the brutality, they rushed and hugged the trees as well and were also killed. Word spread quickly around the village of Khejarli and others joined in, hugging trees in a nonviolent protest.  The soldiers continued to mercilessly kill the people, both young and old: a horrific massacre of caring people who died protecting their beloved sacred tree.

The Bishnois faith respects the sanctity of all forms of life and the non-killing of animals and felling of green trees.

The Khejri tree (Prosopis cineraria) has adapted to withstand both frost and drought, and survives both high and low temperatures. It is known to improve soil fertility by supporting nitrate retention in soil and contributes greatly to the micro-flora in desert environments. A large and well-known example of the species is the Tree of Life in Bahrain: approximately 400 years old and growing in a desert devoid of any obvious sources of water. Living trees are far more valuable than dead buildings, don’t you think?

The brave sacrifice of Amrita Devi and the villagers would have ripple effects 240 years later, in the formation of India’s most vibrant environmental movements called the Chipko Andolan, in the 1970s.
Chipko translates as ‘hugging’ and they represent a non-violent forest conservation movement, opposed to logging and deforestation.

Today, in Plymouth, we are supporting the Plymouth Tree People in this year’s festival. They are a volunteer run charity who, for 20 years, have been caring for, and planting, trees in Plymouth. They rightly state that trees “provide us with shade and shelter and a habitat for wildlife. Trees improve air quality, reduce crime and benefit our mental health”.

This city is also home to STRAW Plymouth, (Save the TRees of Armada Way)  who clearly could be a further ripple from the Bishnois legacy.  They set up in 2023 and attempted to save 117 trees (which included 37 different species) from the proverbial chop by the local council for ‘urban development’. Fortunately for them, the tree slayers didn’t behead them, but the council’s “military-style night time felling operation on March 14th 2023”, against these non-violent activists, resulted in the loss of many of the trees, despite their brave battle and 17,000 signature petition. However, they did save approximately 20 trees and they are continuing to protect them through legal action in the high courts.

Despite the fact that humans know the essential value of trees to our very existence, e.g. shelter, temperature reduction, water control, wildlife habitat and food sources, pollution control and  oxygen-generating) it seems activists still have to put their time, dedication and lives on the line to saving them, against the money-hungry exploiters across the globe. It’s time to make Ecocide a recognised law across the world to protect ALL living beings, not just human-centric existence.

So, are you brave enough to be a tree hugger and protect what nature provides for free?

Thank for reading – I hope you enjoyed it 🙂

Information sources:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2022-08-07/tree-hugger-bishnoi-chipko-defiance-deep-historical-roots/101247020

https://www.earthisland.org

https://en.m.wikipedia.org › wiki › Ecocide

On the 8th May 2024, we held two chalking events to celebrate the birthday and on-going work of Sir David Attenborough, at the fantastic age of 98 years. 

The work he has carried out in researching and facilitating natural history to millions of people across the world has, I’m sure, given rise to so many contemporary proteges, as well as raising awareness of the myriad life forms that make up our biosphere. Covering geology, botany, biology, zoology, history and climate warming: his publications and documentaries cover a plethora of sciences that reach across a wide curriculum. This is informal teaching at its best!

‘Informal education does not have the ordered structure and rigidity of formal education. It’s more natural, spontaneous, relaxed and engages different techniques from those found in a classroom.

To increase knowledge and understanding of urban wild plants we also use an informal approach to learning. A different and rather rebellious technique of chalking Latin botanical names and information on pavements beside the plants: we are street art educators. People stop and look, they read, take photos and ask questions. This is the best way to engage learning – by arousing curiousity, so people want to know more.

So much of what’s going wrong in the world, is often borne out of ignorance. The mass media plays a big role in this by promoting a debt economy through blatant indoctrination practices: buy, buy, buy, debt, debt, debt. People are being conditioned to buy pesticides, power machines, bigger cars, oil-based plastic products, not because they need them but because it makes the CEOs richer.

“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to save the world”, said Nelson Mandela; such wise words. Confrontation does not bring compromise, but conversations do. Taking time to listen and learn brings many rewards, including peace and understanding – which I’m sure you’ll agree, we need more of.

When I think back to growing up with  Attenborough, as my ‘television teacher’, I wonder if without his inspirational I would have read about Rachel Carson, Edward O. Wilson, Alexander von Humboldt or Darwin’s earthworm project.  It’s interesting how one thing leads to another: a rhizomatic rhythm, don’t you think?  🤔