tsurune

It's wonderful to see an old Elm in Britain, as 80% of Elms succumbed to Dutch Elm disease. Dutch Elm disease has been with us for centuries but in the 1960s a virulent strain arrived on these shores from North America. Some 20 million trees were killed.

This Elm is a Caucasian Elm, with a smoother bark than the English or Wych Elm, and less fissured. I have a book which says that the Caucasian Elm was introduced into Britain in 1891. But this tree looks much older than that!

This tree sits next to the river in Oxford, a little way down from Merton and Christ Church colleges. It is impossible to walk by it without stopping a while and being quiet, as in a church. Truly a remarkable tree!