Quercus

It'll cost you £85 for 100ml of the stuff. It's sold by Penhaligon's of Burlington Arcade, London, who describe it thus:

"Quercus declares itself with a light burst of citrus and basil, supported by a heart accord of jasmine, cardamom and muguet that is sweet, spiced and supremely delicate. The greenness of the basil persists into the surprisingly resilient musk and sandalwood base notes. These are warmed through with moss and patchouli to create elegant, strong and uplifting cologne. Named after the Latin for the British Oak, Quercus is a modern and invigorating cologne enjoyed by both men and women."

I'll probably stick with carbolic for now.

All oaks are Quercus, not just the native British Oak, which anyway has two separate species not greatly different to each other.

At the spot we call The Hollow above the falls dropping down to Blacka Dyke is a small planting of another oak commemorating the service of an officer of the Ramblers. These oaks are described in SRWT's new management plan as 'Red Oak'. There are many different oaks around the world and their leaves of course change colour with the seasons. Still this needs checking and whatever happens in autumn the predominant colouring of these oak leaves through the year is green. It's interesting to compare the leaves of the imported non native oak with those of the native oaks on site.

First a 'normal' native oak.

This one is more advanced having lost its early spring colour and settled into its regular green.

This is our non native oak,with longer and more pointed leaves and a tendency to droop.

Royal Progress

May is queen of months. Up here one measure of its progress is by the appearance of flowers. We've had the whites of wood sorrel and wood anemone, followed by violets and the spectacle of bluebells in the woods. We enter a new stage with the arrival en masse of cotton grass before yet more whites take over in succession with rowan and then hawthorn crowns the month with May's very own blossom. Compared to the strikingly exotic rainbow effects seen now in suburban gardens it may be fairly tame stuff but there's a purity in the restrained and, yes, 'naturalness', of unmanaged land which lifts the spirits without straining the senses.

Cotton grass is interesting. It's not that long ago that people were telling me that it was a problem. In those days it had not become as widespread as now and many like what they're used to. The heather on the moors, boring as it seems to me, is for them them a link to their childhood and that of their parents. Any invasion however natural takes some effort to adjust to.

But the big decision makers in the conservation businesses seem to have decided that cotton grass is 'a good thing'. That may be a reaction to those of us who have complained of the 11 month visual boredom of the moors. The species-ism of the professionals is amusing. Now they are planting the stuff on the high moors as a 'restoration' project.

So where is naturalness in all this?

Up on Blacka Hill is a section of the heather moor that has now become white all over. Some may think this pretty. But this is not an urban park with mass plantings of annuals. It's the result of an unfortunate decision to cut the heather with farm machinery presumably to provide grazing for cows. It's not remotely natural. More like a white stain on a dark tee shirt.

Down near the bog is an area that is not exactly natural but at least it's been preserved from farm machinery. The cotton grass here blends in with its surroundings. There's a lot that could be questioned about this area but the spread of the cotton grass does look more natural.

Singer

Economies of Scale

Will we ever see eye to eye?

What we value most about our green spaces is a sense of naturalness that may show the benign influence of a human touch, something that is similar to what we aim for in the more relaxed and informal of our gardens.  They (the conservation organisations) are  industrial operations. We value things on a human scale. The conservation industry wishes to work 'efficiently' bringing economies of scale. 

Two examples raised at the walkabout users forum yesterday.

The clearing of rhododendron from the woodland. The job is planned as an industrial operation. The chain sawing is done as one part of the operation. Large limbs of the timber are piled up and left. The next stage comes later. It may be burning or shredding. The central planning of this produces economies of scale. The piles of timber are left for weeks, months and in some cases years between the two stages. There is no doubt that the priority is efficient working and use of forces and resources.

The second example is the plan to turn an informal path - or desire line - into a public right of way. This will probably release funds for another project - projects are what they like - and allow a small section with problems to get attention. The trouble with this is that the repairs are done to certain standards and the informality which people cherish is immediately lost. Also once the path gets on the system it never comes off again. Any future management initiative has to be logged and bureaucratised.

Strange that the notices in the car park had been covered with graffiti put there by someone who obviously did not like all this management. By the time the walkabout meeting began they had been removed. And that infantile 'Paws on the Moors' notice keeps getting removed and then reappears.

Light and Shade

Invasion

Email received today:

Hello,
I’m a trainee with the Yorkshire Invasive Species Forum; a partnership between Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and the Calder & Colne Rivers Trust. It has been set up to develop a long term strategy for dealing with invasive plant species.  / During May we’re running workshops on invasive non-native species ID, surveying, recording and biosecurity. Invasive non-native species are a major threat to native wildlife, and have a huge economic cost. Comprehensive surveying and recording of these species (http://ywt-data.org/inns-mapper/) is vital in targeting key areas for treatment to prevent further spread and damage. Groups like yourselves are ideally placed for surveying and recording invasive non-native species. 
If possible please could you pass on the details of these workshops (see attached poster) to any members of your organisation who may be interested in attending, or in becoming a volunteer surveyor. 

 __________________________________________

My reply

The species my local wildlife trust are most interested in removing are native species which we wish to retain. 
My list of invasive species I would like to do without: 
1 Sheep 
2 Cattle 
3 Chain saw operatives 
4 Conservation industry managers 

If you agree then I'm happy to help! 

Best wishes,

May Verdure

Greenery invades and conquers. Knowing a place and its appearance well still means the change is dramatic.

Being in the middle of areas where greenery is repressed - on the adjoining treeless heather moors - contrives to make it more striking.

A long way below, on Strawberry Lane a bank was cleared and planted with gaudy flowering shrubs. Apparently the green of May was not enough. The hybrid rhododendron was criticised by some who felt it was not what that place needed. You can now see the display, just, from Blacka, in the middle of the picture.