This silver birch is one of three and was originally in the top garden, but we had to move it as it was exposed to the salty Easterlies and wasn’t thriving. Now it is near the top of the watermeadow bank, next to the sea buckthorns and it is galloping skyward. Silver birches really prefer a dry habitat, and the weird thing is that our top garden is very dry with poor soil. So this tree possibly now gets a better balance.
Apparently a silver birch can grow up to 30m tall. This one is helping to provide welcome shade on the left-hand side of the watermeadow. However, the shade that birches provide is light and dappled, so good for grasses, mosses, and wildflowers. It also provides food and habitat for a variety of insects including ladybirds and moth caterpillars. Also the right environment for fungi, including the chanterelle, which we have had on our lawn, and the birch knight, among others. When the birch is a bit bigger it might house a woodpecker, and its seeds are food for greenfinches, siskins, and redpolls. Of these, we have seen a greenfinch in the watermeadow.
