Old Friend

Many years ago now, I developed an interest in the trees present beside the daily dog-walk route; a certain kind made itself apparent, with characterful trunk and branch structure, buds in alternating sinuous pattern along the twigs, turning to catkins... a friend identified them as willows, probably goat willow (Salix caprea). And so this was one of the first characterful willows I got to know - now increasingly recumbent and home to new trees forming from the lichen adorning the mostly fallen main trunk, but still, my Old Friend. No visit to the estate would be complete without saying hello.

Image dimensions: 6000 x 3749 pixels