Oak or ash?

I was rifling through old boxes in the barn at the weekend when something dawned on me. There were no swallows. It was the layer of 'guano' from previous habitation that jogged my memory. Last year they arrived on St George's day and the year before on the 18th of April. Spring should be well on its way by now, so where are they? I know "One swallow doesn't make a summer" and all that, but is it significant?

Nature provides us with many signs about forthcoming weather. For many people much of the folklore and old wive's tales are more reliable than our weather forecasters. Michael Fish?...need I say more!

Trees can tell us a lot. An old Devon countryman told me that you will always find water under a holly tree and, of course, trees are a good weather indicator. How much more rain will fall may depend on a fascinating competition between the oak and ash to see which one will open their leaves first, as weatherlore says "Oak before ash we'll have a splash, Ash before oak we're in for a soak". The race is currently running neck-and-neck – oaks are more sensitive to temperature and got off to a flying start in the warm weather of March, but slowed down in the cool weather this April and the ashes are now catching up.

Whatever the weather may hold, trees have a reverence and beauty that has captured artists' imagination for generations. North Devon artist Sarah Woolfenden produces large scale pen drawings of local trees and woods that have been described as wonderfully detailed and exquisitely executed. She is a member of the South West Academy and was chosen as the lead artist in The Artists Garden Exhibition at RHS Rosemoor in 2010. If I had to go out on a limb (sorry, couldn't resist it!), I would say they are some of the best contemporary renditions of trees currently available.

Beech Tree by Sarah Woolfenden. Framed original ink drawing £795

This example of Sarah's work is a local beech tree, a common site in North Devon with most of the hedgerows in this area being of that variety. It is estimated that there are 33,000 miles of hedges in Devon, more than any other county in the UK. 

One of Sarah's large ink drawings (framed size is almost a metre high) can take over a month to complete and a large framed original costs in the region of £795 from West Gallery. Prints of her work cost from around £50, dependent on size, and greetings cards are also available.

You can see more of Sarah's work in our gallery or visit her page on our website.

So, is it oak or ash this year? Do you have swallows yet? Let us know. Meanwhile, I'm off to scrape 'guano' off my lawnmower!