Still at Moorlands, York, and moving onto the huge ancient beech tree, which looks like something from a fairy tale.
The fungi looked spectacular and added to the magical impression of the tree.
There were a few areas untouched by the fungus and so these spots were earmarked for carving woodland spirits like elves and imps, fairies and gnomes.
I started with an patch to the left of the trunk, under the large bough; I’d done a few sketches for reference the previous night, but was open to changing elements according to the shape of the trunk.
Then disaster struck, as I hit an area of rot to the right of the elf; it ran down the entire side and meant I would lose his ear and his hand, as the wood was like polystyrene and crumbled away with the slightest touch. Now what? You can’t really leave a half-finished elf, but a crumbly elf isn’t much better. I persevered and did what I could do, but again I was left feeling a bit frustrated by the wood (as with the seat, see previous article). I contacted Pete Bowser, who had a look at a picture and said the fungus was Ganoderma, which grows on heavily decayed wood, and the fact that there was so much on there wasn’t a good sign at all. I thought that fungi didn’t really affect the tree except for where it was attached, but I missed the point in that it only grows on decayed wood in the first place.
So, no group of fairy friends on this tree. Shame, it would’ve looked great.
The rot spot
A tree-full of these chaps would’ve been fun, but it was not to be. I’ve bought a liquid which claims to harden rotten wood, so I’ll try painting the affected area before oiling, to at least preserve it for as long as possible.