Country diary: the sap also rises, drips from wounds and gives nourishment

Wolsingham, Weardale: swelling buds signal the hydraulic forces that have been building inside treesThe dead leaf on the sycamore stump opened its wings and revealed itself to be a comma butterfly (Polygonia c-album). Their orange pattern was a little worn after a long winter's hibernation, but still glowed like hot embers in the spring sunshine.As I watched, it dipped its proboscis into a river of leaking sap, trickling down a leafless, broken twig. It had found a convenient nectar substitute and showed no inclination to fly away. With few wild flowers out, this was most likely the best energy source available. The twig must have been leaking for several days; some sap had solidified into a white crust, but still it trickled downwards and dripped on to the soil. Continue reading...