After a week or two of dry weather, today’s forecast was for occasional heavy rain. Right on cue, it started as we crossed the hospital’s car park, heading for the woods near Arrowe Hall. Under the trees, the falling leaves of Beech made a golden carpet on the path.
Along a narrow woodland track we spotted a Wych Elm, Ulmus glabra, with huge leaves, about the size of my hand.
To my surprise it was quite a tall tree, perhaps 30 to 40 feet, growing next to an Ash tree. Older Wych Elms are now rare trees in the UK as a result of Dutch elm disease, a fungal disease which has devastated populations of elms since it arrived in the UK in the 1960s. Although I often see short Wych Elms in hedges, I had thought they all became infected and died off when they grew to be over about 6 feet tall. However, various sources say they typically survive until they are around 5 to 10 meters (16 to 33 feet) tall before dying. This is because the elm bark beetles that carry the disease are attracted to trees that have reached a certain size and are old enough to flower, at which point they infest the tree, and it succumbs to the fungus. However, the root system is often unaffected, allowing new sprouts to emerge, though these will likely be killed by the disease once they grow to a similar height. So maybe this tree isn’t a rare survivor after all, but one that is just about to become infected.
We walked along the edge of the big field towards the lake. Some low-growing flowers were still blooming in the grass: Daisy, Buttercup and some sort of Hawkbit. Crows cawed from the treetops. A Hazel was forming its catkins. It’s not quite a sign of spring but perhaps a promise.
On the lake were Mallards and a Little Egret.
Then we walked southwards along the path through trees. At the bridge over the Arrowe Brook, someone puts out food for birds every morning. We caught glimpses of Blue Tits, Great Tits and Coal Tits, but they were very skittish with too many people and dogs passing by. On an old fallen log were these black shiny fungi, about an inch (2.5 cm) across. First thought was Jelly Ear, but they are more amber-coloured, not jet black. Google images suggests Black Bulgar Bulgaria inquinans which are actually not jelly fungi at all, but Ascomycetes. It’s a terrible picture, I’m afraid, but that’s the best I could get in the gloomy rain.
It was a long walk back through the woods and skirting the golf club. We crossed the road to Landican Cemetery, and had a rather late lunch at 12.30 in the shelter of the chapels’ loggia. Afterwards we mooched about the cemetery a bit, looking at trees. There were half a dozen dark red trees we hadn’t noticed before. I think they are Red Maples Acer rubrum. Perhaps they are only obvious in the short window in the autumn when they have changed colour, but before the leaves fall.
There is also a group of four Indian Bean trees. We have only seen them as singletons before. They will be lovely when they are all in flower together in mid-July.
And lastly, there is a small and dainty Willow-leaved Pear on a corner. In this very good year for fruit and seeds it had managed to produce a few tiny pears
Public transport details: Bus 472 from Sir Thomas Street at 10.15, arriving Arrowe Park Hospital at 10.40. Returned on bus 471 from Arrowe Park Road / opp Landican Cemetery at 2.28, arriving Liverpool at 3.02.
Next week we are going to Flaybrick Memorial Gardens in a joint walk with the MNA. Meet Sir Thomas Street at 10 am for the 437 bus.
No Sunday walks on 2nd or 9th of November.