Red and white

We received a fresh covering of snow over night. The winter flowering Vibernum is putting on a brave and colourful face amongst all of the white stuff.
I recently discovered that some of the earliest arrows that we know of were made from a close relative, the wayfaring tree. Information from the Worshipful Company of Fletchers:
"Amongst the earliest – and certainly the most complete - examples of arrows available to us are those recovered with Ötzi, the “Iceman”, in the Alps in 1991 along with his complete archery equipment. Fourteen arrow shafts were found within his quiver, some apparently not yet finished and two deemed ready to be shot. One was 85cm long, the other 90.4cm and they were made from long shoots of Viburnum lantana (the wayfaring tree) a favourite source of arrow wood in pre-historic times. Birch tar had been used to attach three suitably trimmed feathers, which had then been spirally bound onto the shaft with very fine hair. At the back end a notch had been cut to receive the string. The leaf shaped flint arrowheads were tanged and fitted into slots using wood pitch after which that part of the arrow was bound with a thin thread, possibly of animal sinew. After much scientific examination this find was dated at somewhere between 5,300 and 5,200 years old."