2010
NZ0414 : The oldest birch in the village
taken 14 years ago, near to Boldron, County Durham, England
The oldest birch in the village
Silver birch (Betula pendula) is a short-lived seral tree and is not common in the hedges as it is easily shaded out. Fifty years is a typical maximum lifespan, and in old age they start to look most unlike the weeping fastigiate trees we are used to seeing in parks and gardens. This one in an old hedgeline field boundary east of Boldron seems to be well into its old age, with several branches having fallen, a gnarled trunk, and a host of witches brooms in its branches. However, it still has silver bark even on some of the large branches, and seems particularly striking in the fresh snow under a leaden sky.
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