The altruism of giants
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain…
- Clare Harner
Aisling Blackburn
Everything is lush and green, there are flies buzzing about annoyingly since the silage cutting started, albeit in fairness they are in dual purpose seeking refuge and plunder. On my walks I see folks still dealing with fallen trees on their land, the spoils of storms earlier in the year. What will they do with the wood? Firewood or furniture? Who knows.
When a log falls (known as fallen snags), it is momentarily a sad event but ultimately, dead trees become a larder of nutrients for many. Mammals and birds come to nest in the trunks of standing deadwood (known as snags) while a multitude of fungi and insects, especially beetles, have access to a variety of nutrients unavailable while the tree was living. The sight of dead trees may be a reminder of what loveliness has been lost but who are we to deny the altruism of these giants, who will continue giving long after they have passed.
A new round of flowers and fruits in the hedges is taking central stage, namely meadowsweet, honeysuckle and fireweed. It is a privilege to watch the cyclic nature of everything that grows in the wild, the reappearance of plants in the same spot year after year, something denied to most city dwellers, from whom even the stars in the night’s sky are obscured. This reminds those of us of lucky enough to observe it, of the resilience of nature. A fact that affords me great comfort.
I read recently how the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, the 1,000 square miles of contaminated area left after the devastation of the nuclear disaster has now become something of a nature reserve. It is a place where no human can safely tread, therefore through camera traps placed within the Zone, and helicopter and ground based surveys we know many mammals like the endangered Przewalski’s horses and birds such as the golden eagle and the white tailed eagle are thriving in a variety of habitats, contrary to the images of desertification that we may have conjured up in our heads. Having said that, the study cannot establish the effect of radiation on individual animals.
Willow herb
One of the main events on our lane and on lots of roadsides around Cavan is the sight of Rose bay willow herb doing it’s thing. Also known as fireweed, it is a pioneering species and often one of the first flowers you will see establish after a forest has been cleared, or after a fire.
It was rare in British and Ireland until the expansion of the railways and sometimes called bomb weed during the second world war when it germinated in craters left by bombs. Although I never heard it called so. I wonder might it have travelled with supplies along the narrow gauge? That is how a lot of plants seem to get established I have noticed. For example, communities of coltsfoot growing at a bog entrance and near nature walks, maybe it’s imported gravel that is the cause, well that is my theory.
Back to Chamaenerion agustifolium, one of nine species of willow herb also known as Epilobium. Plant names are very confusing at times, taxonomists keep changing them around for very important reasons, I’m sure. It is a valuable plant for biodiversity and for the larva of the elephant hawk moth who feed on it. Willow herb is the most elegant of wayside plants, with its tall magenta spikes of nectar filled tubular flowers and willow like leaves which can be gathered and made into a healthful tea know as Ivan chai. The leaves and flowers are gathered in July and August. They are fermented over a few days or hours, then dried for storing. It is a tea with lots of health benefits but with many contraindications also, so not for everyone I am afraid. I did try some last year, but I am one of the people who should not drink it. Anyway, I can still enjoy it’s beauty.
The flowers can be used as a garnish and in Alaska they make a pretty floral jelly from them. This plant is distinguished from its relatives by its tall spikes, the other willow herbs have flowers with stalks that are more loosely arranged on the main stem. Do bring a good identification book with you until you get to know them.