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Interesting Items

Interesting Items

A snowy day with snow on the ground. The sunshine is hitting a tree and a structure beside the tree. The structure is also covered in snow.

As I’m wandering through the woodland I am continually finding new and interesting things. Some reflect human impacts on the woods, others the impacts of nature. As I find more items I will update this page.

This blog was originally published on:   

22 April 2023

and subsequently modified on:  

10 February 2024

The One Cable Tree

A sparsely populated piece of woodland - with just a few trees in the distance. At the right hand side there is just fallen leaves in the forest floor but on the left we see lush greater woodrush. In the foreground is the trunk of a tree with a cut electrical cable growing out of the tree.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this tree! Yes, that is a cut cable coming out from the tree. Yes, it does look as if it's growing out of the tree. I did check around the tree and this was the only piece of cable I could see. There was no other hole for a cable and there was no cable running up or down the trunk. No, I haven't got a clue what the story is about this cable and tree - the only thing I can think is that this is a poor reception area for TV signals and perhaps someone had, in the days before streaming, erected an aerial to get a better signal - but that's just speculation and the real story might be far more interesting. If I ever find out, I'll update this blog.

The Three Cable Tree

This is a woodland scene with a tree trunk in the foreground. The tree has 3 cables coming out of it. It looks as if one cable is coming from the back of the tree with two cables appearing from the front of the tree. All cables are firmly caught in the tree.
So many questions about these cables. What were they used for? My suspicion is that, at some point in time, they were for an aerial as this is a poor reception area. But why three? I can understand drilling a hole and pushing one cable through, which would explain two of the ends, but what about the other cable - what was it attached to? where did it go to? Is the other end buried somewhere in the tree? They are quite close to the tree with the one cable, so were they attached at some point? If I ever find out the answers I will update this section.

The Elephant Trunk

In the centre of this image is a tree with a branch coming out to the left. The ranch is curved downwards and then sharply curves upwards. It looks like an elephants trunk.
This tree is in amongst the Memory Trees. Every time I look at the branch I'm reminded of an Elephants trunk.

The Heart of the Woodland

A heart carved into the trunk of a tree. At the middle of the heart is a wound.
Several of the trees in the woodland have had carvings over they decades. This one is perfectly formed heart. Perhaps I should have called this Broken Heart as it does have a wound right in the middle of the heart.

Woodland Structures

There is a tree trunk which has a manmade bushcraft structure attached to it. The tree has a natural curve and the structure is created to make the most of that curve. The structure itself looks like a small teepee which has been made out of small branches, twigs and leaves.
Every now and then someone builds wonderful structures in the woodland. I particularly likes this one as it made use of the shape of the tree and it was also reminiscent of the curves in some Scottish architecture.
A snowy day with snow on the ground. The sunshine is hitting a tree and a structure beside the tree. The structure is also covered in snow.
This captivating winter woodland photo beautifully captures the creativity and resourcefulness of two young primary school girls (at a guess they were about 10 and 5 years old) who designed and built a shelter from a stack of fir branches against a large beech tree trunk. This heartwarming image showcases the joy of playing in nature and encourages children to use their imagination and problem-solving skills. The soft, muted tones of the winter landscape add a calming and peaceful feel to the image.

Woodland Bench / Nursery Tree

A woodland scene which is dominated by a large structure from the lower left of the photo to just above the centre of the photo. This structure was the trunk of a tree. At some point someone has taken a chainsaw and has cut two indentations into the log. The log has now decayed and is covered in mosses, grasses, lichen, ferns and even a tree sapling.
This structure was the trunk of a tree. At some point someone has taken a chainsaw and has cut two indentations into the log. This then turned the trunk into a handy woodland bench. Over time the log has now decayed and is covered in mosses, grasses, lichen, ferns and even a tree sapling. This is called a nursery tree.

Windblown trees

There are a few multi-stemmed trees standing upright in this photograph. However, there is a large swathe of windblown trees which appear as if they are layer upon layer of trees.
I find this quite shocking as, I suspect, one winter there was a massive gust of wind which blew these trees over. What is most interesting is that the trees at the bottom of the pile are almost horizontal but there are so many layers above then that the upper layers are lying at an angle.

Under The Surface

This is a photo of a beech tree growing out of the ground. However, we see that there has been soil erosion underneath the tree and the roots that are growing down into the ground have been exposed for a section.
Normally the only roots I see on a tree is when the tree has been windblown. So it was fascinating to see these beech tree roots. It looks as if the soil under the surface of the tree has been eroded and has given us a glimpse into how they tunnel into the soil. I always forget when I look at a tree that much of the “tree” is actually roots and that we generally only see that bit that’s above ground.

If you want to visit the official Maryburgh Community Woodland site please click on this link

This blog was originally published on:

22 April 2023

and subsequently modified on:  

10 February 2024
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