Grandeur

I suppose we would claim that grandeur comes with age. But nothing on Blacka is more impressive than this splendid corner occupied by the Great Birch. This is the oldest and largest Birch I know and both defies nature and is a magnificent example of it. Birch is a short lived tree compared with many native species and all round Blacka you can see specimens that have reached their final stages as haphazardly fallen trunks covered with mosses and fungi adding to the marvels of the woodland floor. A noble end. Which is why I loathe what the wildlife trust do in cutting them down and piling the severed limbs into standardised mounds. They manage themselves, their lives and their deaths perfectly and don't need this arrogant intrusion.

Alongside a Rowan has itself recently fallen.

The Great Birch is lucky in occupying the most sheltered of slopes. Its huge trunk is a marvel of gnarls and knobbles with shoots growing out and homes for many creatures. Its position is what preserves it but it means you can never get a full view of the whole edifice, something that adds to its mystery.

Up above it remains impressive enough to rival many an oak. Long may it continue. Its surroundings are just what is needed and there's no mistaking the integrity of a place that owes nothing to managers. There is Rowan, Elder, Oak, more Birch and this fine old Hawthorn twisting and writhing upwards decked out with trails of Honeysuckle..