Some weeks ago, a woman I have met a few times walking at Cottesbrooke told me there was an old oak near the village, so I went for a look.
There were actually two big old ash trees in the final stages of their lives, a huge oak and a strange oak.
I say strange about that second oak firstly because of the way the roots plunge down rather than out. King oak has roots like that - I was sure I read somewhere that it's referred to as an elephant-foot oak - so clearly it can't inhibit health too much. But this tree also seemed relatively young yet veteranised, with many holes in the trunk and dead leading branches. A real character!
The huge oak is incredible. The bark in places on this tree and the first ash looks like concrete!
The hollowed out ash at the start has very vibrant spring growth; the final tree seems in a more precarious state. It is a natural pollard and I think has die back.
On the fallen top of the trunk, where the bark had peeled off, I saw more wonderful beetle runes!
Hello new trees. Yes, the beetle runes are beautiful. It's like looking at clouds and seeing shapes.