The Woodland Edge
Contrast the shape of the trees here with those in the wood you have just passed
through.
Westerly storms drive salt-laden winds straight off the sea, blasting the
western edge of the wood and stunting all exposed trees. At times, the wind can
be so strong that it has forced many trees to lean over - they all lean in the
same direction, away from the direction of the wind.
The wind can scorch the leaves of the trees brown, even in the middle of summer.
Some trees are dead. Dead trees are all part of the woodland
ecology. They ore home to lots of different fungi and insects, especially
beetles. The holes peppering the surface of some dead tree-trunks are made by
beetle grubs or by woodpeckers searching for grubs to eat.
Thirty years ago, there were many more trees here then you can see now. There
used to be a 'heronry' in these trees, with great sprawling, untidy nests where
the herons gathered in the spring, year after year, to rear their young.
Now, trees are again being planted to replace those that have been lost.