March 13th – I always love to find these, and this tree consuming a wire and wood fence is a beauty, spotted on the way to work in Darlaston this morning.

The brach, now a trunk in it’s own right, clearly sorted through the mesh – then consumed it without really causing any distortion and is now flowing, almost liquid, over the wooden crossmember beneath.

I suppose this can’t be good for the tree and must eventually cause an easy entry point for disease, but they do fascinate me. For now, this one seems in rude health…

October 28th – One thing that does fascinate me on the cycle path in Telford is the way the trees and scrub have grown awkwardly through the fences. There are lots of instances like this – where the sapling crossed through the mesh, and the tree is so large now it’s consuming the fece by growing around and through it. 

I’d have thought the constriction would have killed the tree, but it seem,s to have done OK considering, proving just how adaptable nature really is.

October 17th – This all-consuming tree is still growing healthily at Victoria Park, Darlaston, just by the old railway walk. When I last featured it here – way back on May 23rd, 2011 – the trunk had only just started to reach the second bar of the fence it was slowly and surely consuming.

I pass this remarkable example of natural growth and triumph over the built environment quite a bit, so hadn’t noticed the sum of the incremental growth until today. Note that now, the whole railing is being distorted by gentle, persistent hydraulic pressure. The overgrowth has reached the other side of the wooden kerb too. 

There is no strength like the gentle, microscopic strength of nature. And she’s got all the time in the world to do it.