Sweet Chestnut

There are a mass of sweet chestnuts (castanea sativa) around Bournemouth.  These look very exotic with their big serrated leaves and their long white catkins.  These can live for up to 600 years so they should be in our streetscape for years to come yet.  Here are som pictures from Chine Crescent Road.

Alum Chine

Some of the great features of Bournemouth are the chines, little dry valleys that run down to the shore through the cliffs. These are densely wooded and the trees on the valley floor grow straight up to enormous heights in an effort to get to the light. The best walk, to my mind, is down through Alum Chine from Westbourne to the sea.

Bridges and walkways cross the chine at various heights so its possible to get close to the canopy of many of these giants.

It's very difficult to get the scale of thes mighty trees but take my word for it.  They are big.

Further down, the Chine opens out and little side valleys run off giving the impression of being in a dense woodland.

Untilthe Chine suddenly opens out to the sea.

Bournemouth Tree in the News

Well, OK, it's not desperately exciting but it shows that trees are there in all our lives in Bournemouth. Link to Bournemouth Echo

Generous Trees

Bournemouth trees provide support and succour to many other species.  Of course we all know about ivy:

But have you seen so much of it?  This Scots Pine supports a vast weight of ivy:

But some trees are supporting other species.  Here is bracken and even a little holly tree:

Summer Storms

During the summer months, the trees are particularly vulnerable to wind and rain.  Branches are bent under sheer weight of foliage which catches the full force of the wind like billowing sails.  No wonder the roads are littered with tree debris the day after the gales and sheeting rain of yesterday.  Small branches and twigs are everywhere and leaves clog the overflowing drains.   Even the evergreens are giving up last years load or fircones.  I can't find a way of photographing the wind in the trees but here are some snaps of the leafage on the pavements and roads.

History of the treescape of Bournemouth

Ah, this is the site I've been seeking for some time.  Here is a link to "The Pines of Bournemouth" Click here for the link.

Copper Beeches

One of the dramatic effects among the dense, green swathes of foliage  is the sudden visual explosion of contrasting colour by a group of copper beeches.  The leaves are not actually copper coloured but rich reddish purple.

Tree Bark

Can you tell an individual tree by looking at its bark?  Here are some snaps of tree bark from many of our old beauties.  Look closely.  Aren't there characteristics here that seem to be like fingerprints?   Go and examine your favourite tree up close and personal.  See if you can find patterns in the bark that you could remember it by.