Or, balancing nature with infrastructure

This is a gorgeous laburnum tree which is covered in bees for a month or so each summer when it flowers (some sources say laburnum has no nectar- the bees seem to disagree) and each autumn when the ivy flowers. This year, blackbirds nesting in the ivy raised three broods- though how many chicks survived to adulthood is another matter entirely as they kept hopping around on the front garden- unwise in a neighbourhood full of cats…

But the phone line ran through the canopy and this year became more and more entangled in the laburnum/ivy combo.

We quite like our broadband working, so this winter (out of nesting season) a lovely tree surgeon has taken a sizeable chunk out of the tree.

I think this is a tiny illustration of what town planners and others are up against all the time- balancing improving green infrastructure in our cities for the environment and our health with keeping roads, power, water and so on functioning. It’s no easy job!

On the plus side, in this case the laburnum wood is beautiful (if possibly a little toxic) and we’re looking forward to whittling it- with gloves on!