I had seen these trees in the winter. I knew they were wonderful, but, oh... with the full flush of the summer's leaves!
The huge oak on a field boundary really is incredible.
The roots grow down instead of spreading out. I have seen this in a few oaks and am sure I read somewhere it was a genetic thing. But I can't seem to find a reference. The tree has lost a lot of crown and the lower branches are indeed very low. Sitting on the root is like being inside a tent. Totally protected.
On one side, a drainage ditch seems to have severed and damaged the roots. There is a hollow space underneath and I would not be surprised if, in another fifty or a hundred years, an opening allows access into the trunk.
As for the ash, she looks great! No sign of die back at all.
The exposed wood inside the live half of the trunk is astonishing.
On one dead branch, life had returned.
While this... it's mesmerising. I think of a cornflower.
It was great to see these trees so healthy and to feel the incredible sense of security offered by the oak and the magic of the ash.
It's special to see these trees when they are in the glory of their full foliage. Thanks for the images at different scales. I like how close-ups show the patterns when the wood is in different states.