Woke up to a low cloud, breezy day.

                                         It stayed breezy 

but the cloud lifted and the sun shone–a lovely day to be working outside.

I've been meaning to clear ways through the overgrown vegetation up by the old henhouse (which I'm now using as an overflow woodshed). I think doing archery has helped restore some of my strength, at least in short bursts, so I thought I'd make the most of the day and get on with it.

There's a clear way through now both above and below the spiraea that tends to get invasive if not kept in check.

Bluebells grow here in spring

 

I found more of the Root Rot fungus (Heterobasidion annosum) at the base of the old rowan tree. The fungus one sees grows close to the ground and tends to be hidden under vegetation, mainly ferns and small brambles in this case. When I picked up some of the rowan's fallen branches, I could feel how soft the wood was. My fungus book calls the growth of Root Fomes, as it used to be called, a 'disease' but in the case of this old rowan I really do think it is just that old age has caught up with it, not slowed down, it has to be said, by all the chopping away of branches and the hammering in of large nails that occurred in its youth when a tree house was built in it. I'm left wondering if root rot fungus establishes itself in trees that are already decaying with age, rather than taking up residence in young healthy trees and 'causing' decay?

You can see in the last photo above the falling half of the large cypress behind the rowan. That's also an old tree and it also has root rot fungus growing at its base. I haven't seen any of the fungus at the base of the younger trees that are dotted about nearby–mainly grey sallow and birch.

Yes, it turned into a lovely day.

I think we're in for some rain for the rest of the week.