Recently despite Autumn moving in, it has been beautiful sunny weather, so I have been making good use of it at the wood. The little Beech trees are showing some nice autumn colours now.

 

One job I have done is to go round all the paths I have created with weed killer. I know some purists might object but a quick sprinkle of roundup with the watering can should knock back the brambles which are sending runners across my paths and threatening to obliterate all my hard work.

Another job I have half completed is to go round and check all the tubes and see if there is a little tree in them. some were empty, due to squirrels or a dry period earlier in the year. I have about 60 canes in the truck and that is from half the wood. So I am estimating that about 120 will be the total and as I planted about 1,200 trees I am not that distressed that so far 10%have failed.

On the way round I came across the remains of a wasp nest, something had dug it out, what could have done that, bears? honey badger, or maybe just an ordinary badger.

Some of the trees are getting up above the tops of my little plastic tubes now and something is eating them (almost certainly the squirrels) so I have added a second tube on top to double the height and protect them through the winter.

Finally, on my way home I came across an  oak tree that was shedding its acorns, this is a bit early but I could not waste them so I collected up 300. The tree was not growing in Ninewells wood, it was just on the English side of the river Wye, so about 5 miles from the wood. This is OK, I like to source my seeds as close to the wood as possible but I can live with a distance of 5 miles.