This springtime, at first we didn’t have rain. Then we had a lot. And one morning a favourite old tree, sodden with the weight of the water, fell with a shuddering thud.
We looked out of the window and this is what we saw
Even the cats found it disturbing and, missing the tree, they took turns to look out of the window. Now it’s Nougat’s turn to look out in amazement
This is how it looked in April, still in flower at the end of its last summer. The tree (Halleria lucida) is known as the tree fuchsia, on account of its tubular (orange) flowers
The old tree fuchsia was appreciated not only by us. After bathing in the pond, hadedas would perch in it while preening and drying their feathers
One spring I was able to watch unnoticed through the closed window while an African dusky flycatcher fed its two newly fledged babies
Another year, a baby southern grey-headed sparrow left the nest very high up under the gable of our house, and it ended up flying into our house through the open window, much to the consternation of its parents and the great interest of Nougat the cat. We rescued it and took it outside and hoped the anxious parents would be able to assist it. Unable to fly, it made its way to the base of the old tree and climbed up the trunk, fed and encouraged by its parents on its way up
And here is the baby sparrow, safely up in the branches of the old tree. For the full story of the day the sparrow fell from the nest and was rescued by its parents see here
One of the parent grey-headed sparrows perches in the tree chirping perkily
Although they are quite often around, they are hard to see as they mostly keep to the tree canopy, but I did spot this black-backed puffback through the closed window. Opening the window would have frightened it off
A black-headed oriole about to sample some of the still-green fruits of the tree fuchsia (Halleria lucida). As they ripen the fruits darken to purplish-black
Vervet monkeys also enjoy the fruits the of tree fuchsia. This one is warily alert to me watching from behind the closed window
Sometimes a monkey or two simply liked to hang out in the tree. This one is grooming its tail
A few years ago I saw this eastern green snake eating a frog that it had caught at the pond. Once it had swallowed the frog it headed for the tree fuchsia. I went inside and watched through the window as it rapidly climbed the tree. I managed to snap this photo as it briefly came into view from behind the leaves and branches
When flowering in late summer/early autumn the blossoms of the tree fuchsia attracted nectar-eating birds such as this sunbird
The ground beneath the tree would be carpeted with a layer of fallen blossoms as the flowering season came to an end
The tree broke off at ground-level when it fell. The broken base reveals that it had become soft and spongy, perhaps with age. For some months we had noticed that the bark was being eaten away by ants, an indication that the tree was no longer healthy
And so the fallen tree was cut up as it lay across the lawn with the top dipping into the pond. My husband got busy with the saw, cutting the thicker branches into short lengths to be dried for firewood
The wood of the old tree is now neatly stacked to dry. As it starts to dry, the fibrous under-layer of the bark takes on the colour of dried blood. The pale wood is hard and in the past it was used to make spear shafts, tools and wagon poles. It was also used to make fire by friction and it is said to make good firewood (see here)
Although we really miss the old tree that stood outside our dining room window, we are grateful for the abundance and enjoyment it provided during its lifetime. Fortunately, we do have another mature tree fuchsia in the garden. For more information on the lovely tree fuchsias in our garden see a previous post here.
This photo of a sunbird perching near blossoms of the tree fuchsia – taken when the tree was in its prime – features on the About page of this blog
Posted by Carol
January 13, 2020 at 4:20 am
A lovely tribute to one of Nature’s Keeper of the Stories in your sanctuary of home.
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January 13, 2020 at 7:09 pm
Thank you Cheryl. Lovely to hear from you. I have been wondering how you have been doing, and have just seen that you have started posting on your blog again. I look forward to reading your writing,
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January 13, 2020 at 7:22 pm
That’s so kind of you! I took a long break, explained in Part I of my recent series of posts. I didn’t even read other people’s posts, not even my favorites like yours. I look forward to catching up on your wonderful nature observations, photos, and stories.
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January 13, 2020 at 8:26 pm
I have just read Part 1 and I will take time reading the subsequent posts. Glad that you were able to take a break and it turned out to be restorative.
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December 27, 2019 at 4:43 pm
It is indeed sad to see the loss of a tree but wow, what a life this one had, hosting such a rich community of wild things. Are you planning to leave one of the logs in the garden for insects etc to use it as it decays?
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December 28, 2019 at 8:23 am
The smaller tops of branches are already piled up to form an undisturbed heap for all that find it. The large base (about 2 metres long) is still where it fell as we debate what to do with it. I don’t want to cut it but it is too heavy to move even slightly. So it might stay where it is or we might cut it in two and move at least one section to a more secluded spot to decay in peace.
We are fortunate to have another mature Halleria and a few younger ones coming on.
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December 20, 2019 at 7:13 am
What a lovely tribute to this tree. I remember when the old copper beech toppled in a storm in our landlord’s garden, how it changed the character of the space. And I remember the Tale of the Tree Sparrow too. Thank goodness you’re around to write that old tree’s memoirs!
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December 21, 2019 at 7:18 pm
Oh those copper beeches are so beautiful – what a loss. And you are right, the loss of a special tree really can change the character of a place. Some old trees can be truly venerable.
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December 20, 2019 at 6:50 am
Sorry to read about the loss of your tree and all its history, but this is a lovely epitaph for it. That’s a strange break. At first I thought in the second photo the tree was poorly photoshopped onto the background, but it’s just the nature of the break. Good luck with replacing the tree. When something passes, something new and different can fill the void and perhaps attract something new to your garden.
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December 21, 2019 at 7:16 pm
I had another look at that second photo – and I see now that the tree does appear to be almost floating! The photo was taken just after the tree fell and the stump was sticking up in the air and the tree was propped up on its upper branches and hadn’t really settled yet.
Our “new” trees are doing well. We might not plant anything quite so close to the house again, but we shall see what crops up on its own.
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December 20, 2019 at 6:03 am
Farewell dear friend … I feel strongly about trees and how much bounty they provide for so many living creatures. You have documented the life of this one well.
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December 21, 2019 at 7:13 pm
Yes it was like a friend. Thanks Anne.
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December 20, 2019 at 5:14 am
So sad to lose a tree with all its visitors. But wonderful that it allowed you to capture such lovely images of them. Our fuchsias are more bush than tree and it is well loved by the hummingbirds, which I suspect are similar to your sunbirds. May you soak up and enjoy the warmth it supplies in time to come.
We’re having a storm at the moment, with howling winds and some rain… not in the usual amounts, but we’re happy with whatever we get. At least the temperatures have been quite mild – 50º F (is that 10º C?)
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December 20, 2019 at 5:16 am
Ooops, that’s not a minus sign, but a dash. And I forgot to mention that it’s been hovering on that temperature throughout the day and night. I’d call it ideal. (At least for now.)
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December 21, 2019 at 7:08 pm
I realized it was a dash 🙂 By my standards 50º F is on the cool side even for winter, but I understand that is mild for where you are 🙂
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December 21, 2019 at 7:06 pm
I think there are similarities between sunbirds and hummingbirds, although I gather that sunbirds are larger and they prefer to perch rather than hover when feeding.
Glad that you are having a least some rain but hope that the storm was not too hectic. We are enjoying some lovely rain now after a 40ºC (104ºF) scorcher of a day with high humidity. We are so fortunate to have rain.
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December 19, 2019 at 10:14 pm
It is always sad to lose an old tree, esp. one so close to the house and home to many critters you enjoyed watching. It would be nice if one of its seedlings grew in its place, full circle.
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December 19, 2019 at 7:28 pm
All blessings on that tree and all it served. I love the way you’ve shown all the wilderness citizens who used it. And soon the wood will warm you – well, in a few months time that is.
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December 19, 2019 at 8:24 pm
Thanks Tish. I was pleased to find that I did have a sort of record of some of the creatures who used the tree. I will keep an eye out for any tiny seedlings that might emerge from seeds that fell from the tree, so the circle of life might continue not only through using the wood.
Perhaps we will only use the wood the following year – and that is if we have a cold enough winter. Last winter was so mild we needed to use the heater very little so we still have quite a good stash of wood.
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December 19, 2019 at 8:53 pm
Nothing like a good wood pile, used or not, though in your part of the world, I guess the unused pile might attract some less welcome inhabitants. But then it’s a whole new and unexpected cycle…and it would be good if some seedlings pop up too.
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December 21, 2019 at 6:59 pm
We keep our woodpile elevated on a rack in the hopes that might be less encouraging for some less than welcome inhabitants. So far so good …
It would be good to find some seedlings.
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December 19, 2019 at 6:47 pm
And what a clever title to the post
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December 19, 2019 at 7:16 pm
Thanks 🙂 I am a sucker for puns (especially terrible ones – or should I say puny?).
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December 19, 2019 at 7:23 pm
😂
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December 19, 2019 at 6:47 pm
Oh what a loss. I am amazed at how much wildlife the tree fuchsia nurtured and nourished and was relieved to read that there are other such trees in your garden. I am also amazed at how much you captured with your camera and your patience. I hope the gap which the tree has left is not too great
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December 19, 2019 at 7:15 pm
Thanks Mariss. The tree is indeed a loss. We are reducing our lawn bit by bit by putting in shrubs and groundcovers and transplanting self-seeded tree seedlings. After the loss of this tree we went to the local indigenous nursery and bought three young trees to add to the mix. We are fortunate to have had some rain to help them settle in, though it seems the rains are unlikely to continue much longer. At least our rainwater tanks are now full. I am very conscious of your severe drought and it seems insensitive to talk about rain and tree planting when you are living through such tough times.
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December 19, 2019 at 7:22 pm
It is good to read of your garden “restoration”. At least Hogsback is green. Balm after the dryness of Grahamstown. I keep telling myself that it will rain eventually.
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December 19, 2019 at 8:17 pm
Enjoy the relative respite in Hogsback. And yes it has to rain eventually …
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