Brighton & Hove residents were once again invited this week to join elm tree expert, Peter Bourne while he explained the varieties of the city’s huge elm tree collection.
The city’s collection is significant because it can boast to be the largest collection of elms in the country. This is in part because it has not yet succumbed to the ravages of elm disease that has destroyed other areas of the country.
Peter not only entertained the crowd with his arboreal knowledge, but also his witty stories of how Sussex came to be called so, as well as the historical confusion of scientifically naming the different varieties of ‘ulmus’. O
n a serious note, Peter also explained how the beetle transfers the tiny spores on its body, that kill the elms. We would like to reiterate the warning that elm wood should not be brought into Brighton & Hove as infected wood on the back of a truck will be contaminating healthy trees as it travels through the city! It is that deadly!
Peter Bourne will be giving further talks, including one for St Peter’s church in Preston Park.
The next FoPP walk will be the Bird Walk by Simeon Elliott on 14 July. To sign up, please go to our website to find the link to Eventbrite. The walk should be accessible for all, but please bear in mind it is a walk around the park and surfaces may be uneven. Donations will be requested at the end.