Monday 4 February 2008

Phoenix from the ashes.

This moorside Rhododendron bush was badly burnt last year when he dry moors set alight, these moors burnt for quite a few days as the peat underneath smoulders and the winds keep the fires going. I was surprised to see this bush come back like this, the dead branches are now like charcoal. The green floor covering is moss, lichen, heather . It is all making a slow come back.
The things that really suffer in these fires are the local wildlife. Ground nesting birds would have lost all their young as nesting sites burnt. Insects for the songbirds would have died as well.
It remains to be seen just what will be around these sites this year.

5 comments:

Willard said...

I see you have more good posts and photographs since I visited last.

That was good to get those shots of the fox.

Anonymous said...

I am glad to see this too, Peter. I say that Nature will, in time, cover cities like Paris, London and New York. That would be the day to come back and have a look around. To see my old White Oak Tree would be special.

thyme said...

In Australia I made once saw a Eucalyptus tree that was completely burned through at ground level, a child could walk through. But the top looked healthy and full of leaf, you would never guess that the core was burned away.

Patty said...

A fire like that is always so devastating. So happy to see everything springing back to life.

Coy Hill said...

My bet is that the moor will spring back better than before. When our forest burn the new growth is fed by the nutrients released by the fire. Keep us posted on what you find.