Two alder trees reflected in a pond with sycamore and beech tree reflections across on the other side.   Last year’s female alder flowers have changed into the little cones on the branches which can be seen reflected in the water.
The alder is the only British native deciduous tree with cones and thrives beside water and in wet boggy conditions.  The wood does not rot in wet conditions and can become really as hard as stone if immersed in water although if it’s out of water outside it easily rots so is not suitable for fences or buildings.  Consequently it was used extensively in the Industrial Revolution for canal lock gates and most of Venice is built on piles made of alder trunks as were the crannogs (ancient lake dwellings)  It was also used for making charcoal which burns with extensive heat so was useful for making gunpowder and frequently small plantations were established near the factories. Possibly because it is a poor conductor of heat, alder wood was used for making clogs which were frequently worn in factories.
Looking to the future …..   alder is interacting with humanity in another way by helping us in today's climate of environmental destruction and restoration. The nitrogen-fixing nodules on the alder's roots improve soil fertility and so make this tree ideal for reclaiming degraded soils and industrial wastelands such as slag heaps.
Widwed260417  Thanks to BobsBlip’s Widwed  - link ‘A’