I love these, I recently only just discovered eating wild rosehips and they taste so good, I wondered 'how have I missed out on this?' and yet the taste is weirdly familiar...a bit apple-y or jammy or somewhere between a sweet tomato and a tart red berry? The seeds are tricky to remove though-the hairs are used in itching powder, so I have to be careful not to get them in my throat!
I am curious about exactly when in their cycle trees are meant to produce the buds for spring. My mum saw some budding trees in December/January and got very concerned, going on a rant about global warming! I'm really glad she's concerned about climate change (I'm glad I have a mum who cares about environmental issues!) but I'm wondering if she's getting worked up over nothing and the trees are meant to bud at that time of year? There is a tree across the road already in bloom, but apparently it's a variant of tree that is known to flower in winter.
Also, how do buds protect themselves from frost? I'd imagine some impressive biochemistry is involved.
I love these questions. I can see quite a few buds already formed on trees but they have a hard outer structure which I assume keeps them safe from frosts. It may be worth following the tree your Mum saw over the coming months and seeing what happens?
Thank you Agnes. This was beautiful and so interesting. I'm currently listening to your 2023 series of podcasts as I've only just come across them.
If people are worried about planting trees in their gardens then I would recommend pyracantha and cotoneaster shrubs that also have berries but don't grow as big and are equally as attractive to birds.
So happy to have you join the journey Luisa and I'm excited to see what wonders you notice and discover in 2025! (and I love so much of the Glennie Kindred book - I have Maddy and Eleanor from The Wild Academy to thank for getting into it.)
I love these, I recently only just discovered eating wild rosehips and they taste so good, I wondered 'how have I missed out on this?' and yet the taste is weirdly familiar...a bit apple-y or jammy or somewhere between a sweet tomato and a tart red berry? The seeds are tricky to remove though-the hairs are used in itching powder, so I have to be careful not to get them in my throat!
I am curious about exactly when in their cycle trees are meant to produce the buds for spring. My mum saw some budding trees in December/January and got very concerned, going on a rant about global warming! I'm really glad she's concerned about climate change (I'm glad I have a mum who cares about environmental issues!) but I'm wondering if she's getting worked up over nothing and the trees are meant to bud at that time of year? There is a tree across the road already in bloom, but apparently it's a variant of tree that is known to flower in winter.
Also, how do buds protect themselves from frost? I'd imagine some impressive biochemistry is involved.
I love these questions. I can see quite a few buds already formed on trees but they have a hard outer structure which I assume keeps them safe from frosts. It may be worth following the tree your Mum saw over the coming months and seeing what happens?
Thank you Agnes. This was beautiful and so interesting. I'm currently listening to your 2023 series of podcasts as I've only just come across them.
If people are worried about planting trees in their gardens then I would recommend pyracantha and cotoneaster shrubs that also have berries but don't grow as big and are equally as attractive to birds.
Thank you so much Georgina and I'm glad you're enjoying the 2023 podcast too.
Thanks for the gardening tips too. I'm still working on making my garden more wildlife friendly so really appreciate the recommendations.
Glad to have you join the journey x
I love hawthorn berries to snack on on walks - you can tell they are related to the apple just from their flavour 😍
So happy to have you join the journey Luisa and I'm excited to see what wonders you notice and discover in 2025! (and I love so much of the Glennie Kindred book - I have Maddy and Eleanor from The Wild Academy to thank for getting into it.)