Attention to Alder

Monday, November 21st 2016

It seems to be getting dark much earlier now than even a week ago – the cold, grey and very wet day probably didn’t help! We started the day with the outdoor jobs, before the worse of the rain struck, removing some of the vegetation cleared from ponds on the wetland and making sure the gutters on the Field Centre were clear, before retreating from the weather to indoor jobs, including maintenance of some of our equipment.

So rather than tell you in great detail about the minutiae of our day, instead how about a focus on one of the species we’ve worked with quite a bit recently in our habitat work down by Risedale Beck: Alder, Alnus glutinosa.

Alder is a native tree to Britain. Its wood is durable – but ONLY if kept wet, where it withstands rot under water. This property made it useful historically in the manufacture of water pipes and it is still the preferred wood for clog making. Alder coppices well, which is what we were doing with some of ours down by Risedale Beck, and the wood can be used to make an excellent charcoal – as well as, apparently, a very good gunpowder! Dyes can be obtained from various parts of the tree, including the bark, cones and catkins.

Alder is also a useful pioneer tree as it has root nodules containing a nitrogen fixing bacterium and so improves the fertility of the soil on which it grows, by helping provide nitrogen for other plant species. It is therefore often planted on former industrial wasteland and brownfield sites. However, evil was thought to lurk within the alder tree, as when cut, the pale wood turns a deep orange/red, giving the impression that the tree is bleeding.

(0) Comments:

There are no comments for this blog post yet. Why not start the discussion? - use the form below:

Back to Top

Help Support Foxglove

Friends of Foxglove

The Friends of Foxglove Covert is for those individuals, families and organisations who would like to support the reserve through an annual membership subscription. Friends receive a regular newsletter and invitations to attend our various activities and social events.

More Details

Upcoming Events

CLOSURE: Monday 22nd April 2024

Wednesday 17th April 2024 |

Due to an important event occuring on the camp, Foxglove Covert LNR will be closed for one day only on Moday 22nd April.

The reserve will resume usual opening hours on Tuesday 23rd April.

Access to the Reserve: OPEN with limited access

Monday 18th March 2024 |

The reserve is now open, although again with limited access.

Visitors will be able to access the reserve with the use of key fobs provided at the pass office upon entrance to the camp, or will be provided entrance and exit through the access gate by an officer from the camp Guard Room. In this case visitors will need a mobile phone to call the Guard Room when they wish to exit the reserve.

Please be aware that due to these circumstances, entering and leaving the reserve might take a little longer than usual.

VIEW ALL EVENTS