Lisa G Saw • August 29, 2022

Wilmington Yew Tree

It was almost the end of summer and one of the last dry hot days, of which there have been worryingly too many this year. Following a day of exploring new parts of the South Downs, I unexpectedly found myself in Wilmington, East Sussex. From the village, I saw the Long Man hill figure for the first time that perpetually adorns the north face of Windover Hill. Another first was seeing the ancient yew tree that stands prominently in the churchyard of St Mary and St Peter. After waving off a friend goodbye, I decided to linger a while by the tree. There was nothing I had to rush home for. I was happy having free time just to be!

Sitting in a shady spot, I relished the chance to relax after my long tiring day. I took in a few deep breaths, concentrating fully on slowly breathing in, then out. Noticing my lungs expand and relax again. A cool breeze swept across my face. Instinctively, I closed my eyes and smiled, enjoying the feeling of the air caressing my skin. Out of the corner of my eye, in the late afternoon sunshine, I saw a pigeon fly from one tree to another. A wasp landed on the sign post near me, neither interested in going east or west. Content just where it was. Like me. As usual, within earshot, the hum of traffic floated across the fields towards me. It’s so hard to escape our manmade noises. A world seldom at peace or at rest.

 

Gradually, the unwanted sounds blended into the background, barely noticeable. Instead, I focused my attention on the coo-ing of the pigeon and my surroundings. Just to one side of the tree, a small white feather ever so slowly floated through the air. I didn’t see from which bird it came. Like a gift from above, it gently fell all the way down to the ground. Falling, so slowly. So delicate. Softly gliding. I felt a lightness inside of me as my eyes followed its path. There's a beauty in the simplest of things. It can bring such a sense of calm that courses through the body like blood.

 

I drew my attention back to the yew tree. At the end of its branches there were red open-ended fruits dotted amongst the leaves. Although most leaves were green, some had turned brown, which was surprising for an evergreen. I guess it was in desperate need of water. The boughs of the tree extended in all directions, sheltering the gravestones below. I sat quietly alone for quite some time. The only other people I saw were an older couple walking their dog. It was a gorgeous inquisitive puppy that looked like it had a loose wire on the tip of its tail. Its black fur was missing, revealing a little tuft of white instead.

 

The tree is said to be about 1600 years old. It was leaning like an old person who is hunched over walking sticks. For one so old, it’s not surprising it needs a lot of support. Multiple posts were being used to keep the aged yew propped up. There was even a heavy duty chain around the twin stems of the trunk. It looked out of place, though I’m sure it was necessary. This tree is possibly one of the oldest in the country. Not much in this world is that old, other than the earth itself; the soil, rocks, glaciers and ocean. It’s almost impossible to imagine all the years that have past. Decades and centuries have come and gone and it still stands - just about. How many storms has it seen? How many people have passed under its boughs? How deep do the roots go? How far do they spread out? Is it connected to other trees nearby? Perhaps it’s not a lone tree after all, but just part of a larger network underground, invisible to us. What we can’t see has shaped this living form, just like humans are shaped by experience and emotions. If it could talk, I’m sure it would have many interesting stories to tell. I felt an inexplicable urge to touch the soft flaking bark, which reminded me of Australian gum trees. I think the desire stemmed from a deeper sense of connection, respect and appreciation, and a growing love of trees.

Marsh Harrier
By Lisa G Saw July 6, 2025
Bob and I had just experienced a wonderful four days in Norfolk in search of the Swallowtail butterfly , which I'd never seen before, and we decided to head home via RSPB Minsmere in Suffolk. Both of us had only ever been to this reserve once before, many years ago, before we knew each other. That first visit for me was a memorable occasion because it was the first time I saw Eurasian Otters in the wild and my first ever sighting of an Eurasian Bittern. Aside from it being a lovely nature reserve to visit anyway, it was the lure of the bittern that was calling me back. We'd already had two lovely sightings of this shy and elusive waterbird in Norfolk, but I had higher hopes for a better, closer sighting at Minsmere having seen some fabulous photos on social media from a few weeks prior. So, whilst we were sad to be leaving Norfolk, I was eager for the day ahead and what we might see. Things were off to a great start as we followed the woodland trail to one of the hides and saw a small cluster of people on the path ahead looking up. Someone had spotted a Tawny Owl high up in the trees. There was even a scope set up pointing towards it. The gentleman who owned it kindly invited us to have a look. It was fabulous to see the owl nestled close to the tree trunk and with its eyes shut, having a few winks. They sleep a lot in the daytime since they're mostly nocturnal. After looking through the scope, it was a case of trying to locate it it with my bins and see if I could take a photo. I was pleased with the image I was able to capture. More people came along the path and some people were struggling to spot it. Bob and I both ended up helping others try to locate it. It can be very difficult describing to others which line of trees and branches to follow with their eyes!
Swallowtail
By Lisa G Saw June 30, 2025
In the first part of this blog post - Swallowtails in Norfolk - I wrote about our first two days spent mostly at Strumpshaw Fen, where I successfully saw my first ever Swallowtail butterfly. Following this, we had two more days exploring the area. I still hoped I'd see more of this beautiful native species at some of the other reserves. DAY 3 The forecast for this day wasn't great, but at least dry. There wouldn't be much chance of any sunshine until the afternoon, when it would warm up a bit. So, we decided to head to Buxton Heath, on the other side of Norwich. Bob knew it was a good site for the Silver-studded Blue butterfly. It's a species we have in just two locations within Sussex - both of which we've been to. It's a species that thrives on heathland and can be found in good numbers in the right habitat if it's managed well - with grazing or periodic burning in patches. It turned out the forecast wasn't very accurate. When we arrived, it was already brightening up and our chance of finding roosting butterflies disappeared very quickly. However, it was lovely exploring somewhere new and aside from one other couple and a man working there, we didn't see anyone else for the three hours we were there. We left the car park and headed towards the northern corner of the heath first and in next to no time, Bob spotted one flying. I stopped and looked down and saw there was another right beside me. I used my bins to take a closer look and suddenly noticed there were ants crawling around it. Instantly, I knew this was something special. The butterfly had only just emerged. I quickly took some photos but was having real issues with my camera. I was so disappointed not to get any good photos. The butterfly is out of focus but the ant is sharp!!! Hmmm! Not what I was going for! This close relationship with ants occurs with a few of the blue species of butterfly, such as the Large Blue, Adonis Blue and Chalkhill Blue. It's the first time I've ever seen the ants in attendance of a new emerged butterfly, so I was thrilled at least to have seen it.
Swallowtail
By Lisa G Saw June 29, 2025
When Bob and I returned from Kent, having just seen the Heath Fritillary , we looked at the weather for the following week and we saw that it was looking very changeable every day, with cool windy and/or wet weather forecast. The Swallowtail butterfly ( Papilio machaon ) is our largest native species found in the UK and Bob informed me they won't be flying if the conditions aren't good. They like the warmth! Now was not a good time for our hot spell to be over! With only one more week of my break from teaching left, we had little choice but to arrange our visit for then, regardless of the weather. I booked some accommodation for us and we figured that if we went for more than a couple of days, we were bound to have at least one fairly decent opportunity to see the final species on my UK list that I'd not seen before. DAY 1 As usual for us, we set off fairly early in the morning since we had over a three-hour drive ahead of us. The plan was to stop at Weeting Heath Nature Reserve, just inside the Norfolk border, so we could break up the drive and enjoy some time out in nature. The main purpose was to see the Stone Curlew that breed at this site ( Burhinus oedicnemus ). They're a rare summer visitor to the UK and I'd not heard of this species before. They're not in any way related to the Curlew ( Numenius arquata ), which I have seen before - though they are also quite rare and endangered. Their name relates to their similar call. We sat in two different hides during the course of the late morning and early afternoon and for quite some time we didn't think we were going to get lucky and see the Stone Curlew - though we did see a couple of Curlews. At one point I nipped back to the car, and of course that was when Bob saw one! It was on the far side of the field we were overlooking, but where the ground dipped lower out of sight. He saw it just as I was returning to the hide. So, I quickly sat down and looked for it, but I didn't get a chance to properly see it. We decided to stay a bit longer, and so this time Bob left the hide to fetch our lunch, and that was when the Stone Curlew reappeared. It even flew a short distance, quite low, as it apparently had a nest nearby and it wasn't happy about the Rooks that were too close for comfort.  Don't hold your breath - the photo is pants! The bird was so far away and it was more of a record shot. However, I did enjoy watching it through my binoculars.
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