{"id":4652,"date":"2020-02-05T10:56:35","date_gmt":"2020-02-05T10:56:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rdnhs.org.uk\/blog\/?p=4652"},"modified":"2020-02-05T10:56:36","modified_gmt":"2020-02-05T10:56:36","slug":"trees-and-the-thames-at-reading-1-february-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rdnhs.org.uk\/blog\/trees-and-the-thames-at-reading-1-february-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Trees and the Thames at Reading – 1 February 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Marcus Wheeler led a walk to look\nat trees by the River Thames in Reading on Saturday 1 February. The group\nassembled at Hill\u2019s Meadow car park on a windy but mostly sunny morning. First\nstop was a small Wellingtonia or Giant Redwood, planted by the Caversham branch\nof Waitrose near the river bank close to Reading Bridge. In the background,\nGreylag and Canada Geese flew upriver. The walk started out downstream along\nthe footpath on the north bank of the river. Marcus pointed out an Ash tree,\nwith black buds and upward-curving twigs, and a riverside Crack Willow, which\nwas multi-stemmed from the base upwards. Several big old Silver Birches were\ngrowing beside the path. At the eastern end of the park was an avenue of tall\nLombardy Poplars, with some showing scars where large branches had broken off.\nA footbridge led across to View Island. On a Hazel beside the path, catkins\nwere fully out and a small red female flower was noted. A large rectangular\nbare area which was surrounded by green-budded Sycamores had apparently once\nbeen a hotel tennis court. A party of Long-tailed Tits flitted through the\ntrees and both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers were noted. A narrow path\nled past a pond, where white pussy willow could be seen. Marcus pointed out a\nyoung Ash which was badly affected by Ash-dieback disease. The first Cherry\nPlum was already in flower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The walk continued across the\nfootbridge above Caversham weir, where the river level was high and the water\nwas flowing fast. A Grey Wagtail was perching on a riverside rope. Continuing\ndownstream along the south bank of the river, there was a big London Plane with\nthe characteristic tassel-like dangling fruits. Marcus pointed out the flaking\nregenerative bark and smooth leathery leaves which can be washed clean by rain\nwater, features which enable the tree to grow in polluted urban environments. Closer\ninspection revealed that a recently fallen tree in King\u2019s Meadow was a\nCorkscrew Willow. Next to it was an Alder. Back on the riverside path was\nanother much bigger and healthier Corkscrew Willow. Next came a group of White\nPoplars with the round exit-holes of the Hornet Moth near their bases. On the\nriver beyond, a Great Crested Grebe was diving and a Mute Swan flew upstream. A\nbig Horse Chestnut had spreading limbs and brown sticky buds. New green leaves\nwere already showing on the Elders. The walk continued away from the river,\nalong the road which crosses King\u2019s Meadow. Trees seen here included a Lime, an\nItalian Alder and an Ash which was already covered in feathery flowers. After\nsome head-scratching, a tree with white furry catkins was identified as an\nAspen. The group then retraced their steps across King\u2019s Meadow, back to the\nweir, past View Island and on to Hill\u2019s Meadow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n