It couldn't wait until Christmas!

Almost every year I blip a Christmas Cactus flower.  For many years  I knew this plant as Zygocactus truncatus, but as often seems to happen  in plants it has changed its name.  It is now Schlumbergera truncatus.  Or possibly S x buckleyi, both  are sold as Christmas cactus.

Ours instead of doing the usual thing of lots of buds open at the same time, it produces them in ones and twos over weeks.  Native to Brazil they flower with a short day photoperiod, hence Christmas cactus.

The main interest of the day was a talk by Cumbria Wildlife Trust (local support group) entitled "Tree beyond the Wood".  I wasn't sure from the title what it would be about.  It proved to be fascinating, the subject was a survey done in N Yorkshire of trees in Ghyles (Gullies) looking at what was left from the original "wild wood" both from the species point of view and individuals which could be several centuries old.