1st January
In the absence of a bonfire to mark the end of 2021, Clare found fiery looking fungus and liked the idea of it growing on decaying matter - new life from old. She also found a different fungus and sticky buds.
Yellow brain fungus - also known as Witch’s Butter
Jelly ear fungus - so called for obvious reasons. This is on elder.
Sticky buds on Horse Chestnut
2nd January
The trail camera in its new position on the west edge of the Pit Wood is capturing many images of hares. Here is the first of the year.
3rd January
Janet and Peter came to plant a Hornbeam that Janet had chosen. She chose a site near the two Hornbeams Clare had been given two years ago, in the hope that they will communicate with each other. This is not a fanciful idea: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-whispering-trees-180968084/ Clare has noticed that the first Field Maple that Mel had donated stayed in a relatively dormant state until a second one was planted next to it, two years later. The first seemed to suddenly put on more growth and now both saplings are about 50 cm high, even though one is older that the other.
Planting…
…and protecting
4th - 6th January
The trail camera captures the young buck (his buttons are visible on his head), and hares in the snow, one of which is foraging on rush as it pokes above the snow.
7th January - 15th January
John continues to work away at clearing shed debris and preparing a new base for the tool shed.
Footage from one of the cameras shows a buck in velvet - the antlers appear soft and rounded-looking in their protective cover.
A fox strides through the Pit Wood.
A badger’s attention is caught near the camera in the Pit Wood - this is where the hares frequent so it may be their scent that the badger investigates.
The older and younger doe are seen together in the Pit Wood.
Back to base-ics
16th January
John saw all four members of the deer family on the Top Grazing this morning. It was the first time the limping doe had been seen with the others for a while although she has appeared on her own on the trail camera in the Scrub.
John completed the subframe for the tool shed.
The hares show a turn of speed.
17th January
This was the first of several days John and Clare had set aside for tree maintenance, specifically checking tubes and stakes on all the planting. They completed the task in the Orchard and half the Wetland, where pruning some of the leggy Willows provided more whips to plant.
Clare and John planted three more fruit trees in the Orchard to join Beth’s pear - a Conference Pear, a Damson and an Egremont Russet (this last kindly donated by Stephen to help offset some of the trees lost to Storm Arwen).
On the way through the Pit Wood John and Clare noticed an Elder that had been slightly blown over by the storm and was now obstructing the path, however the change of position revealed wonderful examples of inosculation. The Elder can now be recognised as a ‘gemel’.
Catkins have appeared on the old Hazel at the corner of the Orchard and the Pit Wood.
18th January
Ever since 18th December, when ‘brume’ appeared in Word Perfect, Clare has been hoping for the conditions that would allow her to use it. Today was the day. The Scrub camera captured the mist earlier in the day.
'Brume,’ a winter mist, might follow ‘the intensity of a ‘heller’: a bitterly cold winter’s day named after the dwelling of the dead…[it is] the perfect word for the low-lying vapour that shrouds the land on a frosty morning; its roots lie in the Romans’ word brumalis - ‘belonging to the winter’…Robert McFarlane also reminds us of the ‘myst-hakel’ from Middle English, literally a ‘mist’cape’ - a fog or mist that mantles and cloaks the earth’.
John and Clare continued moving logs that had fallen, with the storm, onto the back of the log shed and finally cleared it ready for the rebuild.
Tree maintenance completed in the Top Strip.
Brume
And while talking of all things osculatory…
19th January
The Scrub camera frequently captures footage of hares. Clare noted that in a 24 hour period, there were 14 such videos, and on 5 of these a hare ran down the path away from the camera, only to return within 1-2 minutes. Clare imagines it like the White Rabbit in Alice, muttering, “Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!” Though for what, will remain a mystery.
Nick O, a landscape historian, came to advise on how to undertake tree mapping on Liddells. He is going to make a start and then hand over to John and Clare. While walking round Nick told how the idea of veteran trees encompasses trees that are not just ancient, but trees that may have developed signs that would feature on ancient trees. With this in mind, the damaged Oak in the Orchard would qualify, as the scar from the broken limb will provide more habitat for wildlife.
20th January
A blackbird forages away in the Scrub, apparently oblivious both to adages about early birds catching worms, and to the Pheasants’ warring subplot in the background.
John completed the new floor for the tool shed. Previously the shed sat directly on the ground so this is an improvement and should stop both mole hills appearing round the inner edges of the shed and some of the internal dampness.
Blog followers may remember the tabby cat that occasionally makes its way through the Pit Wood. Today a different cat appears. John and Clare hope it will not prove to be a herald of misfortune.
22nd January
Encouraged by her first foray into tree planting, Janet returned with another Hornbeam and two Small-leaved Limes. They were duly planted near others of the same species.
Clare planted a Periwinkle near the north boundary below the bee hives. It is a plant that captured her imagination as a child after reading Rosemary Sutcliffe’s Brother Dusty Feet, set in Shakespearean England, in which the hero Hugh escapes an unhappy home, accompanied by his faithful dog Argos, and carrying a pot of periwinkle. Hugh meets with and joins a troupe of travelling players, and finds his fortune. Irresistible.
23rd January
A pair of lagomorphs in the Scrub. Both appear to be scenting.
The lame doe appeared on the camera in the Pit Wood. She spent about ten minutes foraging, couched for twelve minutes and then set off. She appears to be not as thin as previously.
24th January
John and Clare planted five Whitebeam near the bug hotel. Although more commonly found in the south, this planting is following advice from an advisor from the Forestry Commission who suggested choosing species with climate change in mind. Other trees that fall into this category are Sweet Chestnut and Small-leaved Lime. Clare removed tubes from the very small Scots Pines, having discovered that they do not do well with this protection. Instead Clare fashioned individual crowns of thorns from Hawthorn and Bramble to deter nibbling by hares and deer.
Crown of thorns
25th January
The pair of hares demonstrate mating behaviour.
The deer family all appear in the Pit Wood. The young buck seems to be trying out being a buck with his sister, then appears on alert followed by what John describes as a kind of adolescent playfulness. The four videos were taken within a seven minute period.
27th January
Mel and John tackled the huge Ash beam that had fallen across the path near the spring and over the Aconites in the Pit Wood.
The old buck goes through the Scrub. John says it is a magnificent animal and has a ‘competition standard head’. The velvet over the antlers is very clear to see.
Mel creating a brash pile aka bug hotel
29th January
Having mentioned the tabby cat a few days before, it then appeared. It has been coming through Liddells for over eight years now.
30th January
Good dramas are full of reversals, however John was dismayed this morning to discover this particular one, which was probably due more to Storm Malik than to the black cat’s presence a few days ago.
The shed was whipped back over onto its roof during the night.
John had asked several sturdy friends to come and help turn the tool shed onto its new base. Their first task now was to turn it back onto its back. Clare was present as documentary maker though had wondered if she would witness something like this.
Almost.
Shed back in place. Drama over. Of course Storm Corrie is on its way…
This next clip technically belongs before all the ones about the shed, however in service to more drama, here is a different ending. The trail camera in the Pit Wood recorded another first for Liddells.
The otter would most likely be passing through rather than resident as there will be little food on Liddells for it. There is a large pond with fish about a quarter of a mile away and the otter may have come from there and be en route for the river, possibly via the stream that flows from the spring.