Bit of a quick post here, as I have been frightfully busy recently. However, the short nature of this post doesn’t mean it’s a useless one, as you’ll see!
At Hatfield Forest on Sunday, sat this dead horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) that is completely colonised by Ganoderma australe (it probably had a major part in killing the tree, and is now devouring its victim). However, the relationship doesn’t end there, for not only is the fantastic white-rotted wood ideal for many saproxylic insects (Coleoptera and Diptera, notably), but the brackets themselves are evidently good for nesting blackbirds! Certainly, the brackets are durable enough and long-lived enough to give shelter for a good amount of time, and perhaps this is why this blackbird opted to nest here.
Arboriculture 