Tuesday 19 April 2011

Death of a Willow

 The Killmarnock Willow to the left of this picture, overhanging the pond, has been dead for a year now.  Our intention is to remove it and build an additional pond where it stands - at the side of our existing pond.
 Rosie and I took the willow down and broke it up for composting.  We thought that the tree had been a victim of the cold and long winter last year, but as we removed the tree, we found that not to be the case.
 The lower trunk was completely bored out by beetle larvae.  The whole lower trunk had become spongey and the vascular system of the tree had been destroyed.
These larvae looked like those of a large beetle.  Without growing them on, it is impossible to say which beetle, but the longhorn beetle is a possible candidate.  They are now bird food!

1 comment:

Robert said...

Another pond? Does this mean you have decided to stay put? Don't answer until we meet. If only Susan and I found the time (and energy) to do a fifth of what you and Rosie do, our little patch would look a picture. We are so full of good intentions, yet the days seem to drift by with little being achieved.

I say this, but I have been doing lots of election deliveries, playing bowls 2-3 afternoons a week, organising a local history forum and going to a writing group. No wonder so little gets done in the garden!

Also look forward to hearing about the Census work.

See you soon. Love for now.

Finally, sorry to hear about Ron. Hope next week goes as well as it can.