B - Ancient Beech

Hello?.. Hello? Is there somebody there? Come a bit closer. Why not stop for a moment to admire my majestic spreading branches? Its nice to be appreciated when I’ve put so much work into growing all this wood. I’ve been here for 300 winters you know. I was here long before the invention of the motor car, never mind that noisy motorway over there! I’ve seen so many humans like you pass by, and you never seem to have the time to stop and look. Slow down, you might learn something. Can you believe how many seeds I’ve produced? They say I’ll drop 1.8 billion of them in my lifetime, you know. I put so much work into producing them, but only a few will grow up to be big, mature beech trees like me. The trouble is, the birds and mammals I rely on to disperse my seeds keep eating them! I must have fed thousands of mice, voles and squirrels, not to mention the deer! And its not just my seeds that get nibbled. My leaves attract so many caterpillars! Its always nice when a family of birds move into one of my holes, or build a nest in my branches. They feed those pesky caterpillars to their chicks by the hundred. Anyway, I suppose I had better let you go on your way. After all, you’ve only just begun your journey through these woods. Come back and see me again some time.