I confess I was tempted to abandon my town-centre tree in favour of another; something closer to home; a tree I would happen to be passing now and then rather than having to make a special point of visiting. It isn't as if it does much. We've had a wonderful and long autumn with lots of colour. But 'my' tree has trudged through the seasons in a tatty, dull-green kind of way. It's currently paying no attention to the prospect of winter in full leaf.
But I'm giving myself a last chance to make something of it. Sometimes boring things are the most rewarding because they demand of us so much effort.
First - yes it's an alder.
Here's a leaf - a new one, with an even newer one opening beside it. November 14th!
And here's a silhouette showing its catkins / fruit.
And here's why it's boring.
This is a picture of the leaves on 14th November.
And this is how they were on 6th August. Not a lot has happened since then! Though given the way the leaves have been grazed by insects perhaps it's a moment to be impressed by its resilience.
Initially I thought I'd photographed the same leaf in both months but no longer think that's so. (Which is a pain.)
Unless I were to stand by the tree for a week, clipboard in hand and interview passers by, I have no way of knowing how other humans engage with this tree. Someone stuck a dummy on it's protective railing. But that seems very impersonal. It's the railing that's caught attention. Not the tree. Here it is in August.
And here it is in November. Perhaps even the railings are invisible to most people for the dummy is still there. The only change is that a coke bottle has been added to the scene. (And that scaffolding has been put up around the Victoria Theatre.)
Two small leaves towards the foot of the tree were neatly stuck together when I arrived, one flat on top of the other. Carefully I peeled them apart. I'm always wary of doing this; never sure if I should. Whoever's in there I'm intruding on a life; possibly destroying it.
Aphids. I've been searching around and think they are mostly Green Barred Alder Aphids (Pterocallis maculata). Perhaps there are Common Alder Aphids too (Pterocallis alni)? I don't know. What do you reckon? And what about the little yellow dots? Are they eggs? Galls? Anyone?
One boring tree - with a thriving little empire held between two of its tiniest leaves. Perhaps not boring after all. I'll be back next month - whether I can hit the Tree Following deadline or not!
APHID LINKS
The Aphid Life Cycle on the site Backyard Nature
Aphid Information on the Site Influential Points:
For Pterocallis maculata (Green Barred Alder Aphid) and others see Aphids on Alder (Alnus)
5 comments:
Interesting post and good pictures. It's surprising to see new leaves at this time of of year. xx
Hello Flighty. I agree about the leaves. Perhaps it's because it's right in the middle of the town and traffic is keeping it warm? A surprising place for an alder? No visible water nearby.
I now care about your tree. Thanks for sharing. Do let me know if anyone identifies the critters. We have alders all around the pond. They have the most beautiful twisty bark on their trunks.ill go and check if they have new leaves tomorrow. They have red catkins which look so pretty. Thanks for sharing. Do let me know how you are now please. Love karen xx
You can be sure it's certainly not a boring tree to the aphids...and not to me either, as I did not know what an alder leaf looked like before, so your tree has been instrumental in teaching me something new. I like that some of them seem definitely heart shaped. And I love the neat little folded crinkles in the very new leaves.
Alders are often beloved of Siskins who come out of the forests for the seeds in their cones in large green-and-lime-speckled flocks in winter. I’m glad you’re looking out for this one. I thought he was rather lovely myself, standing there quiet inside his railings.
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