Today I went for a walk in the Penicuik Estate. It was a gorgeous frosty morning and leaves were falling from the trees. I was excited that I managed to catch two falling leaves - I love trying to catch leaves, and after all it's supposed to bring luck! Usually I just end up on my bum in the mud! Trees are such an important resource for humans as well as wildlife.
As a bird artist I'm really aware of how our birds are affected by climate change. Sadly many species are in decline as their habitats are destroyed and the water temperature affects their food. Planting trees is one way we can help combat the increase in CO2. It also gives somewhere for birds to hide from predators and gives you somewhere to hang feeders! And I'm gradually including them in my more recent artwork.
The Woodland Trust are hosting a "Big Climate Fightback" campaign. They are asking everyone to
Be one in a million and pledge to plant a tree #EveryTreeCounts
In our garden, we have planted native deciduous trees to replace the leylandii hedge that was swamping our daylight and only hosting pigeons and magpies. We've now got a hedgerow of hazel, rowan, beech, hawthorn, and crab apple (I talk more about this in my blog about feeding the birds on wednesday). We've also planted fruit trees on our steep slope that it's impossible to do anything with really. I've ordered a victoria plum as my pledged tree for November. That way it will give us plums and help bees and wasps, and the birds will love them too - I'm hoping I get the most! Many trees can be planted in pots and stay quite small - it's worth having a look if you think you can't plant a tree in your garden. If you really can't plant a tree, that's ok too as you can still help their campaign. Here's the link for more information.
https://campaigns.woodlandtrust.org.uk/page/46713/data/1?locale=en-GB