I don't know why I chose to start with Berkeley Square. It was a third of the way through my long London walk. Apparently these plane trees are amongst the oldest in the city.
The walk route was: Queesway tube station, across Hyde Park to most of the way down Park Lane then I cut through and down to the Ritz where I turned left and walked to Picadilly Circus and then Leicester Square, where I ate at Mildred's with my friend Jane. We walked down toward Whitehall for the Trafalgar Theatre where we watched Mirror, which was EXCELLENT. I walked her to Charing Cross station then I walked to Oxford Circus and took the tube back to my car. All would have been great had the motorway not been closed. I was only driving as they cancelled the train I had booked a ticket for.
Still, I am glad to have walked and Hyde Park was a revelation.
These trees are called "The Famous Five" - double flowered horse chestnuts who produce no chestnuts. They are separated off from walkers, so provide a safe place for crows.
There are a lot of lovely old trees - and they seem to have sympathetic surgery to extend their lives.
Because the winged people and four-legged people are used to us two-leggeds, they are more approachable than the critters in the Reserve, for instance.
The close-up squirrel is the one who was sitting like a small furry Buddha on the lower trunk of the old tree. This one had mange, poor thing, and was very close to jumping on me. Had I ivermectin to hand, I'd have dosed the squirrel. As it was, I was sadly unwilling to let him or her launch onto my shoulder.
Just outside the park, a moving memorial to animals who lost their lives - or their wits - in war.
Interesting about the H. Chestnuts. I was able to enlarge and read the plaque. Good pics of dear squirrel. Too bad about the mange. Good that they have an animal war memorial. I remember a few years ago at the local art gallery here that there was a very moving exhibition re the many, many horses that suffered and died in WW1.