Barmy in Bushy

It was a lovely late afternoon stroll in Bushy Park, we obviously had Dylan with us which made it barmy!....a wee play on words there, for it was a balmy afternoon!

Four of walked the course and discussed the plight of the much loved Chestnut Tree (I touched on it a few days ago), provider of conkers to school children for centuries! It was noticeable in the Park how brown and 'dead' looking many of the Horse Chestnuts were compared to, say, the Oak trees, which are still very green.

Apparantly the trees, having already been stressed by three winters of drought, are now in a weakened state and are suffering from a simultaneous attack by a pest, the leaf miner moth, whose larvae eats the leaves, and a disease known as bleeding canker.

This causes a dark liquid to ooze from spots on the trunk of a tree, which can quickly develop into large damaged patches, spreading all the way around the branch or trunk until limbs fall off, or the tree falls over.

Problem is a bit of a double whammy, because a large majority of Horse Chestnuts across Britain are situated in Public Parks and places (witness Bushy Park), so the pesticide required to treat them cannot be used for public safety, plus the 'bleeding canker' can render them dangerous and a hazard, as they could die and fall without obvious warning, so Park Officials may have to fell them well in advance of that possibility!

So maybe no more tree-lined avenues to walk the dog!
The locals will go Barmy in Bushy!
The kids will go bonkers without their conkers!