Composition

If possible, start by finding out what variety of fruit tree you’re looking at.  There are lots of experts out there, and some apple-specific websites such as Fruit i.d. and the national fruit collection.   There are subtle differences in colour, growth patterns, and size and shape of petals; as well as bigger variation between the apples each variety produces.

Blossom is often clustered at the tip of a branch, may grow off sideways from a stem, or is produced on lateral spurs.  This needs to be reflected in the drawing.  If there’s lots of variation, I’ll include two bunches of blossom.

Two views of blossom from the same tree

As always, slightly curve straight lines of twigs, and leave plenty of white space around your subject.

Specimens and blossom care

A major challenge of painting blossom is that the flowers are so ephemeral.  Buds unfurl, stamens expand, petals stretch outward and fall.  You can cosset your blossom to try and make it last longer.

If it’s a small sprig, you can put it with a little moist tissue in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge.

Keeping blossom in the dark somewhere cool, like a cellar or garden shed, also helps to delay the blossom burst.

On the other hand, you may have buds you want to come into flower.  Encourage them by putting them somewhere warm, in direct sun.  Placing your specimen under a bell jar or in a greenhouse will also speed things along.

Apple blossom growing from the tip of a branch and from a spur twig

Caring for blossom as you paint

Once you’re at your desk, drawing, it’s something of a race against time.  You can keep the room you’re working in really cold.  This makes the flowers unfurl slower, and buys you a couple more hours.  It’s not pleasant, though.

Draw fast.  I get the basic measurements done right away, using callipers or a ruler.  I always take lots of photos before lifting a pencil.

Make sure the cut end of the twig is wet.  I use plastic test tubes held in a desk clamp.  The specimen stays in water but isn’t resting on the side of a jam jar. It is is held still, in the position I chose to draw it in, and I can move the angle of the plant without touching the blossom.

Apple blossom specimen held in test tube with a desk clamp

It’s also vital to have more than one specimen. This means if something happens to the flower I’m working with, I can refer to another one for the missing information.

If my illustration takes more than a day, I store my specimens somewhere cool and dark overnight instead of leaving them out on the desk.

Colours

Apple blossom tends to be white, flushed with pink.  Within this, there are a multitude of nuances.  Some flowers have a general pale flush, others only show the pink on veins on the petals.  Most have far pinker buds than opened blossoms.

The buds are amazing.  In many cases, as they unfurl, you can see a sharp delineation between white and deep pink.  The pink is where the bud was exposed to sunlight, the white is the petal that was hidden.

Apple blossom buds unfurling, showing the stark difference between pink and white.

I tend to use various ratios of Opera Rose, Cobalt Blue, Permanent Magenta, Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red, and Winsor Violet to try and capture the pinks.

Some blossoms have intensely coloured buds, almost purple.

Purplish buds

Another challenge is that the hue of pink seems to alter massively depending on whether I look at in in daylight, artificial light, or direct sun.  Pinks also become more purple as the day progresses.

White petals can be outlined in pencil, or with a neutral grey.  I like a neutral mix of Alizarin Crimson mixed with Winsor Green (Yellow hue).  The veins, if not pink, tend to be a yellowish green, and are often indistinct.

Flower veins, changing from yellow-green near the centre, to pink

Shadows

Representing petal edges, and shadows on pale flowers is always tricky.  You need to show them, but it’s important to keep the flower white.  For more on this see my blog on painting white flowers.  Placing a darker leaf behind a blossom is one solution.

Blossom with leaves behind it.  No need to outline the petal edges.

Adding drop shadows, where a petal casts its’ shadow on the one below it, can look really effective.  Again, don’t overdo it.  A dilute Cobalt Blue mixed with Winsor Violet, or Cerulean Blue are all worth trying.

Detail showing blue shadows on a bud

Drop shadows help separate the two flowers and their petals

Anthers and stamens

Surprisingly, the pollen-producing stamens of the apple seem to change colour.  When newly opened, the anthers are a pale creamy yellow. (For more on the parts of a flower, check out my blog). Once mature, they turn a rich red, or even dark brown.  They can often be a wide variety of colours in one flower.  The filaments vary too, from a fresh yellow-green to a colour closer to Yellow Ochre.

Different coloured anthers in one flower.

Petal drop

Petals dropping is the toughest challenge of all.  You’ll be in the middle of illustrating the venation where a petal curls over itself and…poof!  The petal is gone.  I try to work with the fallen petal, but this is where the reference photos I took earlier come into their own.

None of my photos show this stressful moment, or even the desk at the end of a day where every single blossom has fallen to pieces.  I think I’m too busy panicking to get the camera out!  The pear below shows me working from two specimens.  Neither is the flower I initially drew.  It shed its’ petals a few hours earlier. I had to make do with under-studies.  It’s a familiar story.

The main thing is to stay calm.  And trust that the initial drawing shows the petal shape correctly.

Beautiful blossom

So yes, there are challenges.  But the spring-time beauty of apple blossom more than counter-balances this.

Capturing the fresh green of an uncurling leaf, the magenta flush of a bud, the nuances of a pale pink vein on a petal.  All of these are joyful.

There’s also the pleasure of trying to depict the twigs as accuratley as possible.  Are they grey or brown, or green?  Is lichen present?  Are there leaf scars?  Lenticels?  Is there a colour switch between the main twig and lateral branches?

Twig with leaf scars, buds, lenticels and lichen

The leaves are young, so the greens are fresh.  Illustrating tiny holes and leaf damage is a lot of fun too, as well as being true to life.

Leaf with damage

Conclusion

Whenever I illustrate from life, there are challenges.  These are often the same across the board.  Keeping flowers fresh is difficult whether you’re painting apple blossom or a sweet pea.  Colours change because of time of day, or because a plant has been picked.

Sweet peas also change colour once picked

Leaves and petals move, buds unfurl.  Specimens are alive, so they change. Some are more resilient than others, and over time you learn which ones are ok with being picked and which are not.  A periwinkle might last several days in a jar of water.  A hellebore or magnolia is hard-pressed to manage more than an hour or so.  I take photos.  I have lots of specimens to work with.  I’ve got better at drawing fast, before the plant wilts.  All of this helps.

Periwinkle are pretty robust once picked

But ultimately I like the fact that the plants I illustrate can be so challenging.  It’s a reminder to respect them as living, changing organisms.  And to relish their beauty, fleeting as it may be.

Another apple blossom variety

The post Illustrating apple blossom appeared first on Lizzie Harper.

Whilst recently researching the wildflower families, I fell down a fruit-shaped rabbit hole.  And it is because of the amount of variety shown in the fruit of the Rosaceae, or rose family.

Japanese rose Rosa rugosa

For more on what makes a plant a member of the Rosaceae, check out my recent blog Wildflower families: Rosaceae.

Where to start?  There’s a lot of variety, and taking a look at my Fruit variety and terminology blog might help.

Rosaceae Fruit: Aggregate Fruit

Rosaceae fruit are one to two seeded, and often form together into aggregates, or aggregate fruit.  Think of a blackberry or a raspberry.  Each of those little lumps (or drupelets) houses a seed.  They clump together to form what we see as one fruit, although it is an aggregate of many.  Think how many seeds you find when eating one blackberry!

Jersey Post copyright 2027 Jersey bramble Rubus caesarius

If you have time to spare, have a look at my step by step blog on painting a blackberry.

Rosaceae Fruits: Drupes

Some other Rosaceae grow drupes.  A drupe is a fleshy fruit which has a thin skin and grows around a central hard stone.  Inside the stone (or pip, or kernel) is the seed.

Plum Prunus prunus fruit

Plums and cherries are drupes.  In the states, the term “stone fruit” is used.  This refers to any soft fruit with a woody stone, such as apricots and peaches.

Peach Prunus persica with stone (and seed) removed

Rosaceae fruits: Aggregates of Achenes

Some have aggregates of single-seeded achenes.  Some of these have spines which catch onto fur for seed dispersal.  These are actually called awns, and are formed from the persistent remains of the style.

Piri Piri bur Acaena novae-zelandiae seedhead and individual achene with awns

Other examples include Herb bennet, Geum, and Mountain avens.

Water avens Geum rivale showing flower and seed head with awned achenes

Others, like Meadowsweet, twist their achenes together into a spiral.

Potentilla seed heads look a lot like those of the Ranunculaceae family, an assembly of achenes borne in a globe-like arrangement.

Rosaceae Fruit: The Pseudo-fruit (Rosehip)

Rosehips are not made from the carpels of a flower.  The seeds within are formed from carpels, with their thin coats.  But the red or orange fleshy part of a rosehip is called a hypanthium.  It is just a fleshy shell, housing the real fruit, the achenes (formed from carpels), each bearing one seed.  The hypanthium is formed from swollen receptacle flesh.

Japanese Rose Rosa rugosa rosehip cross section

The receptacle is the part of the plant where the flowering parts are attached, not the female flower parts themselves.  Receptacles lie below the flowering structure, and explains why we see that distinctive brown bit at the “bottom” of a rosehip.  They are the remnants of the calyx and other flowering structures, and if you look closely you can sometimes see old stamens.  Which makes that the “top” of the pseudo fruit, I suppose.

Rosehip anatomy diagram

Rosaceae Fruit: The Pome

One of the most commercially important Rosaceae, the apple, carries its’ seeds in a Pome.  A pome is a swelling of the receptacle, not the carpel.  It is built of several hypanthium (enlarged receptacle) which have grown together.

At the centre of this we find the pericarp which contains five to thirteen seeds (it’s commonly known as the apple core), depending on how successful pollination was.

Diagram showing the structure of the Pome (apple)

So next time you eat an apple or a pear, remember that the distinctive brown bit at the “bottom” is the residual flowering parts, specifically the calyx.

Pear sprig with blossom and fruit Pyrus communis

For more on pomes, check out this blog from Where the spruce eats.  To be sure you can tell your pome from your drupe, take a look at this blog from Toronto botanical garden.

Rosaceae Fruit: The Strawberry

The strawberry bears its’ seeds on the outside, and in fact every yellow seed is a strawberry fruit.  The fleshy part (which we eat so cheerily) is made from swollen receptacle tissue, rather like the apple (a pome).

Wild strawberry Fragaria vesca with external fruits and seeds on a swollen receptacle

However, the big difference is that the seeds of the strawberry are on the outside not the inside, and it is the only fruit which does this.  It is therefore not only delicious but also remarkable.

Conclusion

This blog is far from exhaustive, and I have no doubt I could find enough to write an entire blog about the core of an apple.  I hope this serves as an introduction to the variety and fascinating structures of the fruit of the  Rosaceae.

Sketchbook study of the Dog rose Rosa canina

The post Rosaceae Fruit appeared first on Lizzie Harper.

This series talks about some common wildflower families.  For basic terminology, look at my  the basics of botany blog, and another on different fruit types.  For more on scientific names, how they work, and why they matter,  look at What’s in a name 1 and part 2.  Take a look at  the other families I’ve looked at so far, the  Ranunulaceae (Buttercups), Caryophyllaceae (Campions), and Brassicaceae (Cabbages)  I hope to add more families over the coming months.

Rock cinquefoil Potentilla rupestris

I know a little about wildflowers,  but I am an amateur, and not a trained botanist.  So although I’ll try and get stuff right, if you see a mistake, please let me know.

Wildflower families: Rosaceae

The Rose family has 107 genera and over 3100 species globally.  Flowers have five or ten petals, and often have an epicalyx (see below).   Leaves have stipules, and tend to be alternate.  There’s a vast array of fruits in this family, from plums and apples to strawberries, Mountain avens with its dry achenes in one head, to Lady’s mantle with a lone seed in a receptacle.  As well as Roses, other Rosaceae garden flowers include Cotoneasters, Pyrocanthus, and Geums.  Our most common fruit crops are Rosaceae, and lots of highly varied wild flowers are in this family, including Cinquefoil, Meadowsweet, and Agrimony.

Entire leaved Cotoneaster Cotoneaster‌ integrifolius and other Cotoneaster species

(For more on telling Cotoneaster species apart, not a fun occupation, please check out my blog).

Rosaceae overview

Plants in this family have alternate leaves with stipules at their base.  A stipule is like a tiny leaf that grows in pairs at the base of a leaf stalk, next to the stem. Flowers have five or ten petals, lots of stamens, and can be solitary or in racemes. The name Rosaceae comes from the Latin for rose, Rosa.  There’s a suggestion that the name is far more ancient than that, possibly dated back to ancient Persia where ornamental roses were first grown.

Copyright Jersey Post: Roses Nostalgia Rosa Nostalgia

Some members of this family reproduce asexually, without seeds.  Strawberries do this with runners, while Raspberries, Blackberries, and some roses put up suckers at some distance from the parent plant.

Barren strawberry Potentilla sterilis showing a runner

Rosaceae Leaves

Rosaceae leaves are often lobed, with toothed or deeply notched margins.  (For more on leaf margins, look at my blog).  Some may be very deeply lobed, like Tormentil.

Tormentil Potentilla erecta

Some Rosaceae have compound leaves made of an array of smaller leaflets rather than simple ones  (For more on simple versus compound leaves check out my blog).  You can tell if a Rosaceae leaf is compound or simple by looking for a stipule.  You’ll only stipules at the base of a leaf, so if you look at a Rosaceae “leaf” and see no stipules, it could well be a leaflet.  Examine a rose leaf (compound, of many leaflets) or a Blackberry (likewise) and use the stipule position to decide where the stalk of the entire leaf (not that of a leaflet) attaches to the plant.  The shape of leaves, if not the size, is pretty consistent across the whole plant.

Agrimony Agrimonia eupatoria clearly showing basal stipules

Stipules can be tiny to really large, smooth to toothed.  Often the stipules can prove confusing as they resemble part of the main leaf.

Rosaceae Flowers

Rosaceae flowers are regular, with radial symmetry.  They have five petals, which tend to overlap, and five to ten sepals which also overlap but mostly do not fuse.

Blossom of Pear Pyrus communis

Some Rosaceae have an epicalyx, a whorl of bracts just below the calyx.  You can see this in the Cinquefoils and the Strawberry.  If you look closely at the green “top” of a strawberry, you can see the sepals, the epicalyx in a circle below them, and you may also see some residual stamens, clinging to the inner edges of the calyx array.  There’s a good blog on this, by The botanist in the kitchen.

Wild strawberry Fragaria vesca showing calyx and epicaylx

Flowers grow in compound clusters at the ends of the stem, known as cymes or racemes.  However, they can also be solitary.

They are bisexual with lots of stamens surrounding one or many free carpels.  The stamens, should you care to examine them, grow in whorls of 5 or more, but this can be really hard to see.  They bend inwards towards the flower.

Individual Hawthorn blossom Craetegus monogyna showing incurved stamens

Carpels (the female reproductive organ of a flower, consisting of a style, an ovary, and a stigma) tend to be superior, growing above the flowering structure.  In some species, they are Perigynous, meaning the flowering parts grow around the edge of the receptacle where the pistil (the tube down to the seed, through which pollen has to travel to fertilize the ovule and form a seed) is housed.  Cherries and roses are perigynous. For more on ovary positions look at my blog on the ovary.

Cherry Prunus avium

Rosaceae Fruit: Aggregates, Drupes and Achenes

There is an extraordinary amount of variety in the fruits of the Rosaceae, and I’ve ended up putting my research here into a separate blog which I’ll publish in a week or two.  Below is a summary.

Rosacea produce one to two seeded fruit, but that’s where the similarities end.

Consider the variation.  Like the Ranunculaceae, some species have assemblies of achenes. Some achenes have spikes to help dispersal, such as the Geum and Avens species.  Or have achenes twisted together so they look like a “mister whippy” ice-cream, a beautiful effect shown by Measdowsweet.

Assembled carpels of the Mountain avens Dryas octopetala

Some familiar soft fruit, like the blackberry and raspberry, are made of lots of individual fruits.  Each a little “blob” is called a drupelet, and contains one or two seeds.  These are known as aggregate fruit.  From the position of the calyx, you can tell these have developed from superior ovaries.

Copyright Jersey post 2017 Blackberry Rubus fruticosa

Drupes are formed when ovary tissue swells to become fleshy, enclosed in a thin skin.  At the centre of this you have a hard stone, a woody coat for the seed within.  Peaches, plums, cherries and apricots are drupes.

Plum Prunus prunus

Apples and pears are pomes.  A pome is formed from the receptacle, the area below the flowering structure.  This swells and within it you find the apple core with five to ten pips.

Somerset redstreak apple Malus domestica

Strawberries attach their fruit to the outside of a swollen receptacle.  The fleshy red bit isn’t a fruit at all.  The fruit is each of the tiny yellow seeds embedded in the red flesh.

Strawberries Fragaria × ananassa

Rosaceae: Other species

As well as the fruit discussed, Rosaceae contains the Lady’s mantle, Silverweed, Cinquefoil, Piri-piri bur, Rowan, Sorbus species, Cotoneasters, and (of course) roses.

Piri Piri bur Acaena novae-zelandiae

Conclusion

I hope this blog on the Rosaceae wildflower family was of some interest.  What a varied family!  I hope to do more of these blogs over the coming weeks and months.  References include my FSC botany course, the Common Families of Flowering Plants by Michael Hickey & Clive King, and information from Naturespot.

Rowan Sorbus aucuparia sprig with berries and blossom

The post Wildflower families: Rosaceae, the Rose family appeared first on Lizzie Harper.

Rowan Sorbus aucuparia is a small tree, but one which gives an enormous amount.  Prodigious blossom in spring, vibrant orange berries in autumn, and a whole to offer in terms of history and folklore.  And you can make jam from its berries!

Not only does the Rowan provide all this, but it can also grow in really tough environments.  It’s not called the Mountain Ash for nothing, and you frequently see lone Rowan trees clinging onto rocky outcrops in upland and heathland habitats.

Rowan berries and illustration

Identification: Tree shape

Rowan is a small and slender tree.  It normally grows to 10 – 15m tall, and can live to 200 years old.  Rowan grows swiftly, and is found up to 2000m in the Alps – it can tolerate the cold.

It can grow in really unusual places.  I’ve seen Rowan trees growing perched on top of boulders.  They grow on the sides of streams, from crevices in cliff faces, and much further north than many other deciduous trees.  Rowan even help make up the Boreal forest, which creeps to the edge of the Arctic.

Despite their seeming predilection for odd places to grow, these sites tend to dovetail with places where large grazing herbivores can’t browse.

Rowan tree in blossom

Although this blog is about the common Rowan, there are 44 species and 8 hybrids of this tree in the UK.  Many can be found in the Avon gorge, in Bristol.  In fact, this habitat has the greatest diversity of Rowan species in the whole of Europe, and many are very rare indeed.

Because of the blossom and attractive berries, Mountain ash is often found in gardens, as well as across the countryside.

Identification: Leaves

Rowan leaves are compound and up to 20cm long.  This means that each leaf is made of lots of smaller leaflets.  Each rowan leaflet is oblong, and has sharply toothed margins (for more on leaf margins see my blog).  There will be a lone leaflet at the tip of each compound leaf; all the others are paired and opposite one another.  There are 5-7 pairs per leaf.

Sketchbook page of Rowan

Leaves are a dull green on top, and many be slightly pubescent below, especially when young.

Identification: Flowers

In spring Rowan is awash with frothy white flowers that are strongly scented.  The whole tree buzzes with the bees and flies, amassed around the blossom.

Each flower is 8 – 10 mm across, and has 5 creamy rounded petals.  Rowan is a member of the Rosaceae family, so you may notice a family similarity in shape to apple, pear and plum blossoms (although each flower of the Rowan is much smaller).

Rowan flowers have male and female structures, and are hermaphrodite.  There are 3 – 4 styles, and lots of prominent stamens bearing cream coloured pollen.

The blossoms are borne in domed clusters 8 – 15cm across.  From a distance these look like a froth of cream flowers.  There can be up to 250 flowers per flowering head (or corymb).

Detail of Rowan blossom

As well as bees and flies, Rowan blossom is an important source of nectar for hoverflies and beetles.

Identification: Fruit

Autumn sees the tree produce vibrant orange berries which glow against a deep blue sky.  they can also be used for jams, and are important for wildlife.

Late autumn, and the leaves turn gold and brown, contrasting with the remaining berries.

Each berry is oval or round, and up to 8mm across.  You sometimes see inconspicuous lenticels on the berries.  There are up to 8 seeds inside each berry, although 2 is the norm.  Trees begin to produce seeds from about 15 years old.

Rowan berries

The berries can vary in colour from yellowish to a vibrant red, but a rich orange is the most common colour.  They’re shiny.

They’re very rich in vitamin C, in the form of ascorbic acid, and provide a vital food supply for birds and occasional mammals.

Pen and ink illustration of Rowan berries

Berries need the cold to break down their tough outer coats, and cannot germinate unless they’ve been exposed to cold temperatures.

In mild climates, berries are produced every year.  Where the weather is colder and harsher, Rowan trees will mast.  This means that every few years all the trees will produce a glut of berries.  In between mast years, very few berries are produced.

Identification: Bark

Bark of the Rowan tree is smooth and a slightly greenish grey, with dark lenticels scatted across it.  It looks silver in certain lights.

Twigs are often slightly hairy, especially when they’re young when they feel downy to the touch.  This wears off, and older twigs are slightly shiny and glabrous.

In winter, Rowan twigs are easy to recognize.  The buds are purplish-brown, pointed, and downy.

Similar species

The orange berries and blossom are unlikely to be confused with other tree species.  However, both the Ash and the Elder also have compound leaves.  The leaflets of these trees tend to be less crisply toothed than Rowan, and the shape of each leaflet is a little blunter.  I’ve written blogs on the Ash and hope to write one on Elder, do take a look.

Ash leaf – note that the teeth are less sharp and each leaflet is rounder than the Rowan

History: Folklore

The bright berries of Rowan mean it has a rich history of folklore.  This colour was thought to be highly effective at fighting off witches, so Rowan trees were planted near houses.

In Celtic mythology, Rowan is considered the tree of protection.  Runes were carved into the living trees (which may well explain the name “Rowan” as both words share the same root) , and stone circles with Rowans planted nearby were thought to be the site of fairy activity.

Rowan Berry, leaves and blossom

Twigs or Rowan were used to stir milk in the diary, in the hope that it would prevent the milk from curdling.  In the barns, Rowan crosses would hang above livestock to provide some protection from disease and witchcraft.  Amulets and wands were made from Rowan, and those who practice divining believe that Rowan is particularly good at finding water.  It was common to carry a sliver of Rowan in your pocket for protection from enchantment, and sailors believed a boat with rowan wood on board could not capsize or harbour anyone who would drown.

Because you can make out a five sided shape if you cut a rowan berry in half, they were thought to be magical and have protective powers.  This is the pentagram symbol, or “eleven cross”.

In Wales, Rowan were often planted in churchyards, and in Scotland is was anathema to fell a Rowan tree.

Illustrating Rowan berries

Druids thought Rowan acted like a gateway to another place (one assumes somewhere more spiritual than merely the next town up the valley) and would drink wine made from Rowan berries to get second sight.  Or drunk.

History: Food & Medicine

Rowan berries are edible, but not particularly pleasant unless processed.  They’re commonly made into wines, jellies, and jams.

If food was sparse, rowan berries could be dried and ground into a flour which could be baked into a rudimentary loaf of bread.

Medicinally, Rowan has had many uses.  It’s a cure for digestive complaints.  It can be made into a poultice to treat ulcers.  As a gargle, it can take on sore throats and tonsils.  The high vitamin C content meant it was a splendid antidote to scurvy.  It was used to treat sores, and to stop bleeding.

This is no surprise, Rowan in very rich in antioxidants which are used in modern medicine to treat everything that needs a boost to the immune system.

Uses

As well as all the protective, spiritual and medical properties, Rowan had and has practical uses too.

Its wood makes excellent handles for tools and utensil, and has a fine-grain.  Henry VIII reckoned the Rowan made such good bows that he passed a law prohibiting people from using the wood for any other purpose.

The wood can also be used for wood turning and engraving blocks.

The whole tree is rich in acid and is highly astringent.  This made it perfect for tanning leather.

The bark can be made into a black dye.

These days, a derivative from the Sorbic acid found in Rowan has been made into a food preservative which can eradicate nasty bacillus such as Clostridium botulinum.  This bacteria can produce toxins that can cause botulism if ingested.  These toxins are, according to the NHS website “some of the most powerful toxins known to science. They attack the nervous system (nerves, brain and spinal cord) and cause paralysis (muscle weakness)…if left untreated it [Botulism] can be fatal in 5 – 10% of cases”

Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus on Rowan

The berries are wonderful for wildlife, with members of the Thrush family particularly fond of them.  Redwing, Thrush, Blackbirds and Fieldfare all feast and help disperse the seeds.  Dormice, foxes and pine marten also eat the berries

The leaves are eaten by caterpillars of the Welsh wave moth and Autumn green carpet.  Apple fruit moth feast on the berries. Other moth caterpillars will feast inside the leaves, as leaf miners.  Mountain hare eat young leaves; and red deer graze on the tree foliage, stems and tree trunks.

Threats

Rowan trees, like all UK species, suffer as a result of habitat loss.  However, there is no immediate horrible threat, such as Ash die-back, knocking at the door of this beautiful tree.

They can suffer from fire-blight, European mountain ash ringspot-associated virus, and silver leaf disease.

The main threat to the Mountain ash is browsing from red deer and other large herbivores.

Rowan illustration in “Trees and How to Grow them”

Conclusion

Rowan, or the Mountain ash, is a common tree in the UK.  The blossom and berries make it decorative and easy to identify.  It’s uses stretch into myth, food, herbalism, agriculture, and legend. It’s an extremely important tree, not only in terms of wildlife and ecology; but equally for the role it’s played in human history and folklore.

Luckily, this is one of our trees which isn’t likely to be going anywhere soon.  When I look at the blackbirds glutting themselves of the rowan berries in my garden, I’d very glad to know that.

Online sources for this blog include websites of The Woodland Trust, Trees for life, the Green Parent, and Naturespot.  Book references for this blog include the excellent The Greenwood Trees by Christina Hart-Davies, and the Reader’s Digest “The Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of Britain” (out of print but commonly available second-hand).

There’s also a film of me illustrating rowan berries in real time, take a look if you fancy it:

The post Trees: Rowan appeared first on Lizzie Harper.