Sherlock Holmes’ common criticism of his friend Dr Watson was: “You see but do not observe”. All of us are guilty. But once our attention has been drawn to a subject, we start seeing ‘everywhere’ what had before passed unremarked upon. And this is what I want to do with Ash trees. In May I began noticing that two Ash trees visible from the study window were behaving very differently. They were next to each other and both about 60 feet high. One flushed and developed normally, and was still in full leaf in mid-October, the other ‘struggled’ into leaf with a few leaves eaten, a few not appearing on shoots until August, and many shoots never flushing at all. Throughout the summer the crown was transparent with just a few, scattered leaves hanging on. Read more...

A cruck frame is one where the structure of the building depends on two or more 'A-frames' which go from the top of the building down to the ground.  These frames are usually constructed of curved timbers (the cruck blades) using the natural shape of a tree and in many cases the tree is sliced long-ways down the middle so that whatever the shape of the curve the two sides are symmetrical.  The two beams are joined together at the top by a 'collar' or tie-beam. Cruck barns probably evolved in Anglo Saxon times and the earliest archaeological evidence comes from 4th century excavations in Buckinghamshire, but this building technique really came into its own in medieval times. Large halls were built in towns and villages and a large cruck barn also became a sign of an individual farm's prosperity. The barns could be easily divided into sections or bays and threshing would have been done indoors. Read more...

Tracy Pepler relates her experiences on a basket weaving course in Kent.  Let us know if you've been on a course you'd recommend to woodland owners:- Read more...

With the help of volunteers, the British Trust for Ornithology is undertaking a major survey of the bird population in Britain and Ireland – a Bird Atlas of the UK.  Their winter count started on 1 November 2007 and they are still looking for help.  Read more...

What better way to be in touch with our beautiful countryside than to enjoy the best wild and cultivated produce that the season has to offer.  Connect with nature for the best nutritional value, low food miles and fantastic flavours.  Read more...

The adder (Vipera berus) may be Britain’s only poisonous snake, but this beautiful and shy creature and will make every effort to keep out of your way.  The adder’s preferred habitats are open, immature woodland or woodland edges where there are warm, sunny spots, and cover to take refuge if disturbed.  Read more...

“Green burials” of various sorts are increasingly popular - many people want to escape from what they perceive to be the conveyor-belt experience of some crematoria and the impersonality of cemeteries and churchyards. Read more...

Mushrooms and toadstools are common at this time of year.  They are the visible evidence of fungi; the fruiting (spore-producing) bodies of fungi growing in the soil, leaf litter, or bark of trees. Nature’s ‘recycling depot’, bacteria and fungi are essential to the decomposition of plant and animal remains. Many local natural history societies organise fungal forays at this time of year, as do a number of the National Trust properties. Read more...