At last, a clear blue sky again - and combined with no snow/ice on the ground! :) The ground still very soggy in some places though, so I kept to the paved paths on my walk around the nearby cemetery.
An old tree was in the process of being taken down - no doubt because of Dutch elm disease. which sadly seems to be spreading around here. (Here in Sweden just called almsjuka - elm disease.) Wikipedia informs me that the "Dutch" included in the English name has to do with the disease first being identified in the Netherlands in 1921. It's caused by a fungus spread by bark beetles from one tree to another. And it seems a tree already infected can't be cured, but has to be taken down; while healthy trees might be saved by vaccination, but it's not guaranteed to always be successful.
It's always sad to see mighty old tree giants taken down, even if it is necessary.
It is so sad to see wonderful trees felled by disease.
ReplyDeleteThat Dutch Elm disease is awful.
ReplyDeleteWhat a contrast - a beautiful deep blue sky and the death of a tree.
ReplyDeleteThere’s a quiet heartbreak in watching those old giants come down, even under a clear blue sky, the loss lingers, reminding us how fragile even the mightiest living things can be.
ReplyDeleteI don't like seeing trees removed either, though sometimes it is necessary.
ReplyDeleteoh no, tree diseases can be deadly. We have kauri trees here that are native and they can get dieback disease, it's sad.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad. Here in the south of Germany, it's ashes that are suffering from a disease that apparently can't be cured; nearly all ashes have gone from the area where O.K. lives and where there used to be many of these beautiful trees.
ReplyDeleteIn spite of this, it is so good to see blue sky and sunshine, isn't it!
I always mourn the loss of any tree even knowing it is a must.
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