River bank fingers

DAY 130 (13 AUGUST) – European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) (Farnham)

Anything with ‘European’ in its name brings me comfort during these dark days…

But looking closely at this tree today I felt a bit uneasy. It was a cooler evening. The tree was twisted and gnarled – with little crevices where unblinking owls might live. And it had those roots which, if they were in a children’s book, would suddenly become fingers clutching at the river bank. It was full of magpies too.

So interesting to know, finally, what a hornbeam looks like. And to learn that they account for most of the trees in Epping Forest – that mythical place at the end of the Central Line.