APRIL 2020 – NATURE’S TREASURES

Bonsai Oaks On Glastonbury Tor

On the embankments opposite each oak have sprung up a handful of beautiful little oak saplings. This one seems to have been there for some time and has been nibbled repeatedly, but survived to regrow new shoots and develop a young canopy. Its main trunk must be 2-3 years old, at least.

On closer inspection, some of the oaks I found had tiny caverns dug out beneath them, little chests where squirrels store their nuts. I hear that squirrels often leave nuts in the ground, either forgetting them or leaving them as a distraction from their main store.

I like to think that the squirrels allow one of their acorns to grow, keeping it small, maintained and discreet, to mark the spot where they bury their stash.

Or perhaps they are simply keen bonsai practitioners!