Appreciating the trees of Sidmouth Cemetery can be a pleasure at any time of the year, including these leafless months. Two years ago in May, just as the tree were coming into leaf, the Cherishing Sidmouth Cemeteries group were treated to a Tree walk by Ed Dolphin. But if you need guide when the likes of Ed are not available, there is always the excellent Tree Map from the Sidmouth Arboretum.
There are many trees which stand out, such as the tall old conifers which now house the bat boxes at the top of the old cemetery. And we can look forward to the many trees in flower from early spring to early summer.
One very striking tree in Sidmouth Cemetery which has caught attention is the red oak [the Quercus rubra] which is originally from North America and now often found in parks and gardens in Europe.
Here it is in late September, in the ‘old part’ of the cemetery, hosting some relaxing CSC volunteers after their labours clearing brambles:
The benefits of the Red Oak (Quercus rubra) from the Woodland Trust are that “although it isn’t as valuable to wildlife as our native oaks, it’s popular with nesting birds and pollinators.” And as for its appearance, as can be seen from the photo, “the bark is smooth and silver-grey when young, and develops warts or ridges with age.”
To return to our red oak, the Tree Map at the Sidmouth Arboretum notes that it is “a fine tree taking advantage of the space to spread its canopy. It was probably planted when EDDC took over the cemetery in the early 1970s.” That makes it over fifty years old – which will be the age of a lot of the trees in Sidmouth Cemetery – apart from those planted in the 1880s when it was founded, as can be seen from maps and early photographs looking at the history of the Cemetery.
Enjoy the trees!
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