Moons & Musings

  Hi guys, Today I am attempting to do the Beech tree justice. I have a feeling that just like the willow, it is going to be a bit longer than some other posts. Beech is a deciduous tree in the family of Fagaceae, and one of approximately thirteen species. It is native to temperate Europe, North America and Asia. It has both male and female flowers on each plant, the flowers or catkins appear in the Spring, and the beechnuts, or mast, appear in the autumn. These are small, roughly triangular seeds that are edible, but bitter to the taste, astringent and taste slightly nutty. Uses: Furniture framing Flooring Plywood manufacture Firewood Smoking foodstuffs (some German smoked beers, ham, sausages and cheese) Beer making (an American lager uses slats in the bottom of the fermentation barrel) Drum making Creosote Rifle stocks Animal Husbandry (17th Century Switzerland) Pigment making (bistre - a greyish/brown colour- was made from the soot) Beechwood tablets we...

                                                                 (Credit - clipart-library.com) HI guys, Flora Friday today, and I thought that I might start with a tree, the willow. Then I realised how long this post will end up being after just a few minutes on the internet! So, without further ado, let's get into it. There are over 400 types of willow, so I am trying to keep this post as succinct as I can! From the genus salix, most of the willow family are found in the Northern hemisphere, and are deciduous.  Some of the broader leaved shrubby varieties are called Osier (also giving us the name for basket weaving - usually using willow as the main wood) and the broader leaved species can be called Sallow (Old English Sealh - also possibly where the Ogham rune for the le...