Ashridge Volunteers

The Guelder Rose is a rare sight at Ashridge, but two young specimens have been spotted on the open common above Step’s Hill at SP962159. This particular “rose” has no thorns since it is part of the Viburnum family rather than the Rosa group. The name of Guelder is linked to Gelderland in Holland, and Rose is probably a simile for the berries with reference to the rich red colour found in roses.

It is a native deciduous upright shrub (Viburnhum opulus) reaching up to twelve feet in height, and it is conspicuous in Autumn because of the round translucent bright red berries which appear in hanging bunches. The fruits are an important food source for birds, including bullfinches and mistle thrush. The berries can be mildly toxic if eaten but can be cooked to produce jelly or jam. The white flowers are especially attractive for hoverflies in Spring. The shrubs are currently hemmed in by hawthorn and dog rose and it is hoped that the Trust will clear some of the scrub to allow the shrubs to develop. Guelder Rose likes damp conditions so some shading of the roots is necessary. Perhaps a job for the volunteers. In the meantime Caleb the forester will be setting some seeds in the greenhouse at the Estate Office hoping to raise some new plants for Ashridge.

Look out for the spectacular native Spindle tree at this time of year. Growing on chalk soils it rarely makes more than ten feet in height, and survives as a large shrub. The leaves are shiny green and slightly waxy with tiny sharp teeth along the edges, turning to a rich orange-red in Autumn. It is the bright pink fruits with bright orange seeds which are the main attraction. Think of red popcorn and you will know what to look for. Spindle timber is creamy white, hard and dense. In the past it was used to make spindles for spinning and holding wool, as well as skewers, toothpicks, pegs and knitting needles. Today spindle timber is used to make a high quality charcoal for artists. A hundred years ago before the advent of the N H S, the village people relied upon nature to provide their medical care, when the fruits were baked and powdered and used to treat head lice, or mange in their cattle. Both the leaves and fruit are toxic to humans – the berries have a laxative effect!

You can find the Spindle (Euonymus Europaea) in the hedgerows in Pitstone car park, or near the communication mast at the bottom of Gallows Hill. Interesting stuff for the visitors.

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produce a long lasting indelible ink used for over a thousand years , for writing manuscripts and important documents. Gall ink was the primary source of ink from the 5^th century until the 19^th when industrial inks were produced. Artists such as De Vinci, Rembrandt, and Van Gough all used gall ink.

It is not difficult to visualise the brethren in the monastery at Ashridge in Medieval times making their own ink for their manuscripts. Gathering the galls from the oak trees on the Estate, crushing them in a pestle and mortar, adding water , iron sulphate and gum arabic to produce a cheap and long lasting ink. The humble gall has shaped the history of western civilisation.

Oak galls are evident on the trees once the leaves have fallen at this time of year. The life cycle of the gall starts in the Spring when the gall wasp lays an egg in the oak catkin which causes a profound change in the way the tree grows – it hijacks the tree’s growth for it’s own ends. It induces a kind of tumour to grow in place of the acorn. Inside the gall a grub develops feeding on the nutritious tissues within, while being given shelter from enemies. This bizarre structure is the perfect nursery for the emerging wasp to complete it’s life cycle.