Found Alders Near Hartland

Today  was the first tee-shirt day of the year.  This means panic for me, as this early weather may cause the trees to bud, which would abruptly cause an end to tree planting season, which would be a  disasterious thing to happen mid project, as it would be the end of all activity here for another year and who knows where I will be in a year from now.

Today I decided to comb the small wooded Valleys allong the Coast here, beguining with Hartland.

The valleys here are very clogged, in places with evergreens and Sycamore, it didn't look good.

Then I noticed the Alders in the above picture and the mud-dump right under one of them.  I had a closer look.

To my amaisment there were many little Alders, many of which I hastily collected.

Great. Now all I need is Oak.

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.4

Proper Primrose Planting

Today I have been planting Primroses on hedge-banks along the country lanes around my new home.

I collected these from my old garden on Dartmoor, just before I left.  They have been in the bag for quite a while, whilst I have been settling in; but Hopefully they should be alright.

Past Primrose Planting experimentations have shown that they will grow well in a remarkably diverse variety of habitats, but do best half way up a bank or wall and seed themselves best into mossy grass.

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.4

Planting Oaks in Thick Brambles

Last Night of Tree Planting on Dartmoor

Two more bags of trees, collected today.  one to be planted and one to be stashed for a more tricky site in the day time tomorrow.

Tonight I aim to get this very brambly patch, along-side the leat planted up and mostly with tough little Oak trees.  The site is a good mile away from my home and getting to the particular bit I want to do, involves much climbing and balancing between unfathomable bodies of water.  

Brambles

One reason why I had put off planting this bit, was because of the brambles.  They are difficult to walk through, difficult to tell what is land and what is not land and they are not all that easy to plant things in, although they do offer anything planted amongst them a great deal of protection from any potential grazing creatures, provided that such trees are taller than the Brambles and won't get smothered by them.

When planting anything in Bramble clumps, especially at the dead of night; it is virtually impossible to do so, without acquiring some kind of lacerations.  After tonight I shall probably be removing splinters of their thorns from my hands for the next month.

Oaks

Because of the Oak's big tap roots; they need nice deep, but narrow holes.  So long as the roots are not dried out and/or the tap roots are not too badly severed; they should ought to grow.

All planted!  Hands scratched and bleeding; I head home with my empty bag & trusty handleless spade for the last night-time planting mission as a Dartmoor resident.  Tomorrow I will be in a totally different place and a totally different era of my life.

Stay tuned.......

Frozen Aqueduct

Interesting Ice

The water must have been quite high, when this aqueduct froze.  It has been very cold and well below freezing for quite some time now, but it has also been dry, so the water has dropped considerably.  The result is various layers of ice, well above the current water level.

This aqueduct brings water from the neighbouring Cowsic (Pronounced: Cowzik) River.  The leat that brings it, winds around the moors and fields, all at a slight tilt from about 390 metres above sea level.  After crossing the Black brook, the waters from this leat join the waters of the other leat and go through my woods and adjoining field systems and then it goes off onto the moor, to who knows where.  I followed it for about eight miles once, but there was no sign of an end.

These two leats wind around hills and valleys, strictly following the 390 metre contour line.

 Trees

All around this aqueduct are trees I have planted at different times.  Many are getting quite big now.  I have been careful as not to put any trees right next to this structure, so as not to damage it with their roots, but close enough  to shade it, with their leaves and branches.

Many Beech trees already shade one end of it, there are also quite a few established patches of Spruce.

I hopefully have added a good balance of trees here, with lots of Oak and Hazel, a few Alder, Willow and Broom and a massive glade of Birch.  This aqueduct is a major focal point in the woods, so I want the fauna here to be quite special.