The old guys

This is a buckthorn.

I think I have only seen one before (knowingly). I remember that it was late autumn and birds flocked to feed on its berries.

What a gnarled old thing!

It has no use to humans now that it's no longer used medicinally, so this one was lucky to have grown on a stream bank in the corner of a field which was just left.

As I walked along, I saw two other species that are seldom seen in these heavily farmed places: a dogwood and a guelder rose. The latter is the national flower of Ukraine, apparently, and is an indicator of Ancient Woodland. Dogwood is so strong that it was said to be the wood of which Christ's crucifix was made. Not sure if they have them over there in the Bible Lands. Both, like buckthorn, bear berries valued by wildlife.

I took cuttings of all three.

As for the mock orange, one pot has already been disturbed by a busily peanut-burying squirrel or jay.

It gave me a buzz to find these three as it's been chilly the last two days - this is back at the start of June - recall that my life chronology is behind my blog chronology - and I didn't do anything bar go to work yesterday and today I had to force myself into the outdoors. Even the crows were hiding today.

Remember, remember to treasure these little finds. They turn a day from a blank expanse into an age of discovery.

And two days later I greeted two more of the old guys: a wild service tree and a spindle.