Wednesday Woodland

A sad thing to encounter at the entrance to the Arboretum. One of the larger trees is being felled because of a fungal rot. I can't remember the name of the tree now but it has a wonderful papery bark that comes off in streamers, and although it's offspring grows nearby I'll miss the tree.

The fungus (Ganoderma Applantatum) that has eaten away at the heartwood of this tree is known as Artist's Fungus, because the bracket-like fruits can be drawn on by scratching the white surface, revealing a brown layer beneath.

Watching the surface of our parliamentary processes getting a good scratch has been essential viewing too! I know not everyone will enjoy it but it's almost worth the licence fee (unlike the rest of BBC News). Johnson is about to take the stand, so to speak, so off I go to the telly again. 

Maybe there's another felling in the offing.