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Early bud burst

  • 05-03-2012 10:40am
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 8,100 ✭✭✭


    Its been a mad rush in the last couple of days to get my 100+ poplars planted as they have started to bud burst. Is it my imagination or is that a bit early this year due to the mild weather. I always had it in my mind to have plants planted by the end of february as they grow roots from then on, but I dont remember having this problem before.

    Willows are in full flower which makes cuttings for next years plants difficult. Alder/hawthorn buds really beginning to swell too.


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Comments

  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,584 Mod ✭✭✭✭blue5000


    Ya oldtree, noticed a few green bits on hawthorn at the weekend, before the frost, reckon they're 2-3 weeks earlier than other years.

    If the seat's wet, sit on yer hat, a cool head is better than a wet ar5e.



  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Wild Bill


    IMG_0625-1-1.jpg

    Earliest sycamore I've seen; some shaded saplings nearby burst bud just after the 1st March!


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Wild Bill


    IMG_0619-1-1.jpg

    Here are some that bursted earlier.....:D


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,100 ✭✭✭Oldtree


    Pesky non-natives doing aful damage to the native flora. :D


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,584 Mod ✭✭✭✭blue5000


    Noticed plum tree in flower yesterday, is this v early?

    If the seat's wet, sit on yer hat, a cool head is better than a wet ar5e.



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  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Wild Bill


    blue5000 wrote: »
    Noticed plum tree in flower yesterday, is this v early?

    Not at all. The flowering of the plum seems to be entirely controlled by light rather than temperature or other environmental conditions; this tree is always in full flower circa one week after St Patrick's Day - regardless of the weather.

    This was taken on the 11th as the first flowers appeared.

    IMG_0616-1.jpg


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Wild Bill


    Oldtree wrote: »
    Pesky non-natives doing aful damage to the native flora. :D

    The Sycamore is here over 1,000 years! What makes a "native" :confused:


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,100 ✭✭✭Oldtree


    "Our native trees are the trees that reached here before we were separated from the rest of Europe. Our most common native trees include oak, ash, hazel, birch, Scots pine, rowan and willow. Eventually, people brought other trees, such as beech, sycamore, horse chestnut, spruce, larch and fir to Ireland."

    http://www.treecouncil.ie/irishtrees/irishtrees.html

    Sycamore just a young blow in. :D


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Wild Bill


    Oldtree wrote: »
    "Our native people are the people that reached here before we were invaded by the Normans. Our most common native people include Murphys, Hogans, O'Briens, O'Sullivans. Eventually, other non-native people , such as Fitzgeralds, Smiths, Xin and Schusters made it to Ireland."


    Hmmmm.

    That would be xenophobic racism - why discriminate against 1,000 year-here plants? :confused:


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Wild Bill


    Here is a native horse chestnut bud bursting in Sandyford Ireland this very morning :)
    IMG_0648-1.jpg


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  • Registered Users Posts: 8,100 ✭✭✭Oldtree


    I would suppose that you wood welcome japanese knotweed into your garden then??? Do not get me wrong I know a sycamore and have nothing personal against it!!! :D:D:D

    The definition is there for a purpose and native would mean that the "native plants" have evolved togeather over time to co-exist. The definition of a weed is simply a plant in the wrong place, and in a managed landscape sycamore can be as such.

    I am lucky enough to have a semi natural/ancient woodland which I am in the process of restoring to a ash/hazel woodland, native if you will. I spent many years studying the area before I decided what to do. There are mature sycamore of the woodland edge and I will not be touching them (I have learned to live with them). As you will know sycamore is a prolific seeder, (my wood floor is littered with them at the moment) seedlings open up large leaves earlier blocking the light for the native flora and thus leads to their demise, whereas ash opens much later leading to a happy native union. In addition sycamore seedlings and trees prevent the germination of ash seeds. I am removing the sycamore within the woodland but allowing them to regrow as coppice, hopefully they will not set seed in that time (remains to be seen). I felled 6 or so tall thin mature sycamore about 4 years ago and the number of native local provenance ash that came up in the clearing was gratifying.

    1000 years is not that long in the life of trees, take an oak for example, 300 years to grow, 300 years to mature and 300 years to die. It is well known that it takes at least 3 generations to breed out inherrant xenophobic racism, so only another 2000 years to go. :eek:;):D


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Wild Bill


    Oldtree wrote: »
    (I have learned to live with them)

    That's nice - seeing as they are here 1,000 years longer than you!

    Frankly the period between the retreat of the glaciers and the disappearance of the land-bridge was so short on an evolutionary scale it was worthless in terms of species formation and bio-diversity.

    It left a biodiversity-impoverished "native" population of flora and fauna of no more value than if I cut off a sand island from the North Bull and declared it an "important" ecosystem after a single year - with "native" and "introduced" species determined by what was present the day I cut it off.

    The whole concept is bunkum. Japanese bindweed is not like species that are natives to the UK and Europe that would have easily naturalized here has the land-bridge remained in place.

    The notion that Beech and Sycamore are "not natives" is 24-carat bunkum perpetrated by some crazed preservationist fetishists.

    A native pear tree this morning...........

    IMG_0651-1.jpg


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Wild Bill


    Hearing you mentioning local races of ash being favoured over other ash I can't help wondering if, for reasons of preserving "native" ecosystems, this East European female homo sapiens blow-in should be cut out in favour of "native" strains?

    1150334_b.jpg

    Personally, I'd I couldn't care less she didn't make it before the land-bridge was submerged :cool:


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,100 ✭✭✭Oldtree


    Thats a deeply sexist thing to post Wild "Butch" Bill! :eek:

    Looky here for 24-carat bunkum perpetrated by some crazed preservationist fetishists with minds greater than yours or mine:

    NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENS of IRELAND
    http://www.botanicgardens.ie/home.htm

    ORIGINS OF THE IRISH FLORA
    http://www.botanicgardens.ie/herb/census/flora.htm

    SPECIES LISTS
    http://www.botanicgardens.ie/herb/census/lists.htm

    Endangered plants in Ireland
    http://www.botanicgardens.ie/herb/census/threatnd.htm

    Invasive Alien Species
    http://www.botanicgardens.ie/gspc/targets/inspc10home.htm

    from A CATALOGUE OF ALIEN PLANTS IN IRELAND

    http://www.botanicgardens.ie/glasra/aliens.htm

    A. pseudoplatanus L. Sycamore
    One of the most common and widespread tree species in the country, naturalized and thriving in natural, semi-natural and urban habitats; also very tolerant of saltladen winds (e.g. FCB 1983).
    * Evidence of planting in Derry c.1610 (Nelson & Walsh 1993). By end of 19th C, although widely planted and freely seeding, A. pseudoplatanus was only occasionally found in the wild (e.g. Cyb 1866, FNE 1888, Cyb 1898). Not included by Praeger in ITB 1901, but within three decades reported as naturalized in all but 5 vice-counties (Praeger 1934b), and by middle of 20th C considered part of the permanent Irish flora (Praeger 1950). Cens Cat 1-40.

    1610 perhaps not 1000 years then?
    Maby not a blow in but deffo a carry in!!!:P
    Hi Ho Silver awayyyy


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Wild Bill


    Oldtree wrote: »

    with minds greater than yours or mine:

    Speak for only yerself Kemosabe :D

    A cultish fetish is still a cultist fetish no matter how large the cult. "Native" is a daft, destructive, deranged, doomed and dangerous construct once extended beyond any plant or animal born in a location.

    As I said - nearly any plant "native" to Britain is as fit to be considered part of similar natural local ecosystems here as any that crossed the land-bridge in the brief period of it's existence. :cool:

    (and many beyond Britain, natch, though not necessarily including the Jap bindweed)

    Anyway, this native butterfly babe magnet, the Buddie Bush, is bursting out all over. (Though this plant is usually amongst the earliest starters in any year)
    IMG_0661-1.jpg


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,100 ✭✭✭Oldtree


    "native" to Britain

    Apologies! I took umbridge cause I thought you meant Irish natives. :D:D:D

    Convolvulus (bindweed) is native to europe and asia, wheras Japanese knotweed is native to east asia. :rolleyes:

    I had a small garden when I lived in London and bindweed was the bane of my life. In the end I found the best control for it was to allow it to grow up a bamboo cane and then loveingly paint on a systemic weed killer onto the leaves, while wearing gloves, and spent the next few weeks watching it dry out and blow away untill the next ingress. :P

    Buddleia used to grow everywhere esp along the train tracks and I used to notice it also growing on the sides of buildings, its from the Caribbean.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Wild Bill


    Some native and blow-in ivy on the wall - just in the past 24 hours the ivy has started bud-burst in every nook and cranny....

    IMG_0663-1.jpg


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Wild Bill


    And some native beech bursts bud on Paddy's Day :D

    IMG_0673-1.jpg


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Wild Bill


    Meanwhile, this native pine, which I'm sure you can identify (:rolleyes:), is still resting...

    IMG_0681-1.jpg


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,100 ✭✭✭Oldtree


    Quite the avid photographer then Wild Bill :D

    Ivy been flowering for a while now. I understand that verregation is due to a virus and the lighter parts of the leaf do not photosynthasize properly thus a weaker plant.

    Just finished pruning my lovely beech hedge out the front last week, both green and purple.

    See here for pine id (looks like needles in 2's and twisted):

    https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/

    from this thread as "conifer id and color key" attachment on third post:

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056521677

    looks like scots pine


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  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Wild Bill


    Oldtree wrote: »

    looks like scots pine

    Nope. It's not Scottish atall atall - it's the native lodgepole pine :D

    Are you saying my ivy is diseased? :)


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Wild Bill


    Oldtree wrote: »
    Quite the avid photographer then Wild Bill :D

    Well, this thread is about bursting buds! :)

    Here is an apple tree at 10am this very morning....

    IMG_0685-1.jpg


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Wild Bill


    On the subject of my allegedly diseased ivy :mad:

    This was from my wee forest at the same time the other pic was taken....this morning....

    IMG_0675-2.jpg

    Up here, this is the way ivy looks after bud-burst every year - I should know, there is a lot of ivy in the woods around here :cool:

    (This ivy is growing up a the warm bark of a × Cupressocyparis leylandii - a tree more affectionately known as merely Laylandii by xenophobic anti-plant-immigrants ;))


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,100 ✭✭✭Oldtree


    Wild Bill wrote: »
    Nope. It's not Scottish atall atall - it's the native lodgepole pine :)

    I sit corrected and blame the photograph :D
    Wild Bill wrote: »
    Are you saying my ivy is diseased? :)

    The ivy on the right seems to have a central verrigation on the leaf and yes in my eyes verigation is a disease, but you bought it like that.
    ;)

    What settings do you use on the camera for the up close pics, they are very vivid and clear. I have aful problems with the auto focus making its own mind up. And how do you put pics into a post (cant figure that out either)?


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Wild Bill


    I didn't buy the variegated holly - that was herself indoors! :rolleyes:

    Actually - now that you tweaked my interest in close-up photos I must admit all I do is set my 35mm lens on a Canon to the "flower" icon; hold the thing as steady as I can - and shoot!

    I notice the results have an extremely narrow focal depth and was going to check out how to get maybe a few inches in focus from close up - I'll need to study it.

    To post photos here load them to http://photobucket.com/ (you'll need to sign up - it's free) and then you can copy a code that allows you paste them into your post.

    Back to the buds, below is some holly growing on the forest floor under the canopy of assorted native hardwoods - it's taken from further back than the bud shots and all the leaves on the top whorl are in focus.

    When I zoom in on the bud the leave pointing at me goes out of focus - I'm sure there is a technique/lens/something to get over this but I damned if I know what it is :confused:

    IMG_0622-1-1.jpg

    The bud above looked ready to rock'n'roll when this was taken on 11th March but I'm still waiting for the first flush of new holly leaf anywhere around here :(


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,100 ✭✭✭Oldtree


    Holly can wait on the forest follr for over 40 years to get going.

    I have had the same problem so I dont zoom in anymore just move the camera closer to the subject, moving back and forth to get the focus, this really helps with very close up stuff. the automatic settings have a mind of their own and the depth of field or lighting adjusts to where over 50% of the photo is at ie if over 50% of photo is sky it will use light settings for that making the landscape much darker, so in this case I try to get more than 50% of the photo as landscape.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Wild Bill


    When may we see the first Oldtree photos? :)

    The buds will all be burst if you don't get a move on!


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭Wild Bill


    On the woodland floor as well as profuse saplings of holly and ash (especially) and cherry (in the more open areas) I've found this horror :eek:

    What is it? (looks like some sort of laurel)

    I've pulled it up bar one patch where I'm letting it grow, basically, to see what it is.

    IMG_0236-1.jpg


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,100 ✭✭✭Oldtree


    its laurel, divel to control.:eek:


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  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,934 ✭✭✭robp


    Wild Bill wrote: »
    Speak for only yerself Kemosabe :D

    A cultish fetish is still a cultist fetish no matter how large the cult. "Native" is a daft, destructive, deranged, doomed and dangerous construct once extended beyond any plant or animal born in a location.

    As I said - nearly any plant "native" to Britain is as fit to be considered part of similar natural local ecosystems here as any that crossed the land-bridge in the brief period of it's existence. :cool:

    (and many beyond Britain, natch, though not necessarily including the Jap bindweed)

    Anyway, this native butterfly babe magnet, the Buddie Bush, is bursting out all over.

    The Sycamore generally isn't even considered species in Britain. of course its useful sometimes for forestry but its one of the top weeds faced by those restoring natural Irish and British broadleaf. If the Irish landbridge with Europe lasted longer other new species probable would have got here long before sycamore like the suckering elms or lime trees.

    Scientists are still identifying highly specialised invertebrates in Ireland specific to certain native trees, even in 2012. I wouldn't underestimate the level of adaptation here.


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