It’s forty years ago that I first came to Westonbirt. Like most people I came to see the startling autumn colour. Today there’s still plenty of colour, especially if you stop & look closely. The seasonal info board tells you what plants & trees to look out for & even provides a map reference to help you spot them! Funny, but many of the people on the old arboretum trail don’t seem to be using a map.

I like the unusual, something a little different…

This tree reminds me of Christmas decorations – lots of baubles dangling from the branches. I couldn’t resist reaching up to touch the seeds that felt soft. It’s a bladder nut tree, which spoilt my idea of Christmas a little! But I cannot resist touchy feely trees & shrubs….

This tree looks amazing & it’s huge! This is just a small section of the tree, a smoke bush. With the sun on it I think it adds to the effect. This will always be my candyfloss tree!

Do you remember doing bark rubbings as a child?  I think we used wax crayons to rub over paper to create a copy of the texture. Perhaps it’s my second childhood but I lingered by this tree simply to run my hands over the bark, feel the texture. It felt dry, like it should be brittle, but look up to the amazing height of the branches! Suddenly I felt really tiny standing beside this tree.

I love the colour of these seeds, they are stunning & really stand out against the assorted shades of green all around. How can people walk by & not spot these decorative gems? I think this is a maple, but the seeds resemble sycamore in their shape because the trees are related.

Now this tree isn’t very pretty but I love the outline. Looking up to the tree top it appears to be bent. So what caused it? I like to imagine the tree touched the sky so high has it grown, now it has to bend a little – the sky really is the limit!! Perhaps it’s how the tree grows, maybe the top is so light it simply bends in the breeze, but I like my version best.

For me this is what makes my personal trail through the trees special – spotting the detail, quirky, having fun, but learning too about this amazing place & some of the very special trees that grow here. It always takes us longer than the recommended time allowance to complete our walk. I have a tendency to wander off the path, investigate a shrub, spot  fungi, maybe a blackbird or two. Tomorrow I will share the rest of my trail including pockets of colour.