Country diary: ivy isn't just a plant, it's a habitat

Stamford, Lincolnshire: Ivy wasn't always a pariah, more a blessing. It protected houses from demons at times when spirits were closeA glove of ivy grasps the lower trunk of a mature silver birch. It's long a thing of parasitic charm, this stuff - English ivy on trees, houses, walls. It's bad, isn't it? Weakens brickwork, cancers bark, kills trees. Get rid of it, they say. But it's so pretty, you say.Ivy's life cycle is vividly imagined. Juvenile, it grows in woodland and hedgerow in a sort of slink along the ground until it finds a tree trunk, or whatever else. On touching the tree, its roots change shape to fit the surface, then secrete a glue-like ooze to attach. Root hairs emerge, find gaps, slide in, then kink to lock, like a climber attaching gear into a rock face. If it's on your house, by the time you pull it off the wall the damage is done. Continue reading...