Lovely walk up to the ancient, stunted oaks of Wistman’s Wood on Dartmoor this afternoon. A very special place where damp and wind have restricted growth and encouraged a wonderful blanket of lichens and mosses…
Nigel Boldero aka 'Old School Gardener'
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Old School Garden 
Such lovely pictures … weirdly I find looking at lichens very calming .. perhaps it’s because of the environments that they exist in, I don’t know. Great post. Katie
Thanks, I think I know what you mean. The wood is a magical place. I’m in Devon at present, enjoying late spring hedgerows, bluebells, church yards..will post some pics…
Please do … it’s been a long time since I’ve been to Devon but I do remember it being incredibly beautiful, especially at this time of year.
Are there no big oaks in England? All the English interns are so fascinated by the common valley oaks and coast live oaks here, even those that are not very big. Coast live oak does not get very tall on the coast.
Hi Tony, we usually have much larger oaks, many of them ancient specimens. Wistman’s Wood is unusual. The trees are probably several hundred years old, survivors of a woodland in scrub form that grew to a smaller size in periods of colder climate. The wood itself is a remnant of an older upper heathland ecosystem that dates back some 9000 years. See Wikipedia entry for lots more info!
Those do not seem to be very big, although the tall ones are taller than most of the oaks that I am accustomed to. Some can get as tall here, but only where they must compete in forests.
Very interesting landscape.
Agreed!
One of the most beautiful places in England.
Agreed!