The leaves here are oak and they prompted a thought. The colouring of the foliage helps to make oak recognisable. But the green colouring is not always the same. It goes through more changes than many other native trees especially during May and June. And different oak trees change at different rates. Two oaks even close by will not necessarily show the same shade of green, to the extent that they may at first be taken as two different species. Each oak seems to have a character of its own, determined to move forward at its own pace, fitting nicely with its position in the national folklore as a symbol of staunch independence. Blacka is a good place to observe this.
Amongst the mix of trees around Strawberry Lee Woods above, the oak's colouring stands out but it is nowhere near as deep a green as that of the fallen leaves above on the path in the woods.
Here we have a younger tree not fully convinced it's time to commit itself.
Behind and just to the left is another oak in contrasted colours.
Different again are the alien oaks planted in the seventies. Their unmistakeable yellowish colouring stands out from a long way off near Ringinglow, shown up as something that does not quite fit in, which, as an American import, it wouldn't.
Now we know that SRWT is pursuing a policy, however inconsistently, of removing non-native species, I'm surprised there is no suggestion they may be removing these. After all many trees with more claim to being native seem to be under sentence. A hidden agenda?
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