02 November 2009 by Tristan Gooley
This just in from Richard Webber, Natural Navigator alumnus, researcher and correspondent:
‘After a long walk round Mam Tor and Lose Hill near Castleton, we
rested in a café for tea and slices of Derbyshire curd pudding.
Having been infected with the “Which Way Is South” Virus I was drawn
to the tree near by – see the pic. Half still had leaves while half
didn’t. My hypothesis was that the south facing side would hold its
leaves longer – given more light and warmth. I checked the map to get
a feel for where south was and, indeed, the leafy side was facing due
south. Looking at the branch structure I think this points to the
north being on the left of the picture where the branches seem to
growing more upwards than outwards – as on the leafy, south facing
side. Am I right?
And Oliver, aged 16, suggested that the birds might also be roosting
on the warmer, south facing…
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Tags: branch structure, castleton, derbyshire, leaves, length of day, lose hill, mam tor, map, tree north south |
03 November 2008 by Tristan Gooley
Leonardo da Vinci is among the great and the good to have noted that tree growth is not symmetrical, it is heavily influenced by the wind and the sun. One of the consequences is a growth bias towards the south (in the northern hemisphere). This can normally be spotted more easily in the branches of a living tree, but a tree that has been cut down can also yield its secrets through its rings.
As the tree funnels its sap and energy towards the sun its trunk bends and distorts. This leads to thicker growth on the opposite, northern side and means that the heart of the tree is more likely to be found closer to the southern edge of the bark.
The theory is sound and it does work, but it can take a bit of practice to use well. The four pictures above are of cross-sections of the same tree, a beech…
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Tags: tree heart navigation, tree north south, tree rings north south |
