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by Tony Ghilchik  A few days of glorious spring sunshine and the very muddy Heath, especially on the lower slopes that over lie London Clay, becomes just a memory. One of the results of all the winter rain has been a delay in remaking the path shared by pedestrians and cyclists going from the Viaduct Path across to the Highgate Ponds and Millfield Lane. Work was due to start in mid February; however, not only was the ground too wet then but also the contractor refused to guarantee that the proposed rolled aggregate surface, designed to discourage cycling at speed, would not be washed away by further heavy rainfalls. An alternative hoggin surface, more durable yet still avoiding the very artificial look of bonded gravel, has been chosen in its place.
Wild Service trees on the Heath The Wild Service tree (Sorbus torminalis) is one of our rarer native trees which arrived in Britain some 10,000 years ago and is now usually confined to pockets of ancient woodland, especially oak and ash woods, or growing in old hedgerows. It prefers clay and lime based soils. The fruits need open sunlight to ripen and our summer temperatures are often too low for the seeds to mature. This, combined with the seeds then needing several weeks of freezing temperatures to germinate, means that its principal method of propagation is by suckers. The fruits or ‘chequers’ are edible and, when over-ripe, taste rather like dates; they were an ancient remedy for colic (hence the torminalis, meaning ‘good for colic’, in its Latin name). Before the introduction of hops they were used to flavour beer. |
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