Leaves are early this year after a mild March. There have been a couple of days of sunshine and the leaves have been opening as seen on the walk along the Ock Valley Walk.

The tender new leaves are already capturing the sun’s energy, and they look so much better than the weather beaten, bug blighted leaves of late summer.

The grass here in Abingdon is turning pale. The circle pictured above is at Penlon Place, with Our Lady and St Edmund church behind. Part of grass’s natural life cycle involves becoming dormant when the roots can no longer get moisture or nutrients . The grass will turn green again when there is rain but there is no telling when that will be.

There is also a lot of yellow dust on the pavements around the civic car park, and council offices in Abingdon. The trees above have fronds of paired leaves – probably some sort of ash, and blossoms that fall as yellow dust.

The first frost was on Monday. The first picture shows the avenue of trees along Caldecott Road in their autumn glory.

This copper beech in the Albert Park was shown earlier in the year with protective notices. Now it has a fence to protect the ground round the roots and to protect people from any falling branches.

St Michael’s Church can be seen through the trees in Albert Park with their leaves a mixture of gold, dark evergreen, and pale green.

Michael sent this in …

You may have seen this leaning tree at the Stratton Way/Bath Street junction near the Park Road barrier, which I identify as a Metasequoia glyptostroboides or Dawn Redwood, a rare and primitive species introduced from China.

I reported it to the Town Council yesterday and somebody else has reported it to Oxfordshire County Council on June 6th (report no. 1049498)

I attach some pictures. You are welcome to include them in the Blog and if you are able to help arrange for it to be replanted and the supporting structure repaired, I should be very grateful. Otherwise it may well die or be vandalised.