Meet Blockhouses’s beautiful Ash Tree! The ash tree is easily identified in winter by its distinctive black, knobly leaf buds arranged opposite each other at the tips of its branches. Can you spot them? Ash tree leaves will often move in the direction of the sunlight, and sometimes the whole crown of the canopy will lean in the direction of the sun.
Ash timber is unique in that it is one of the toughest hardwoods yet it is also surprisingly springy and shock absorbent; for this reason, it is often a wood of choice for making tools, hockey sticks, and oars. You can test this yourself by softly tugging on one of its branches.
Unfortunately, Ash dieback is currently sweeping through the UK, causing trees to lose their leaves and the crown to die back, usually resulting in their death. It is thought that tens of thousands of ash trees will die, potentially changing the UK landscape altogether.