Ash Trees: Valentines Park

Whatever tree or bird I happen to be looking at or thinking about, it seems to be my "favourite"! I will therefore restrain myself and say that Ashes are ONE of my favourite trees. They are so delightful, so elegant.

There are many of them in Valentines Park- though I remember being very upset when a particularly beautiful Ash (among many other trees) was blown down when what was called a hurricane swept over Southern Britain in 1987, destroying vast quantities of woodland.

But here is one still standing that always gives me pleasure with its beautiful lines:




Apart from their charming lines, ashes have such graphic leaves- first, here are their shadows on a tree trunk:


and now for the actual leaves:


Yet another bonus the ash tree has is its "keys"- or seeds. When a child, I believed they really WERE keys- there was something very magic about them- so here are some: