Ivy

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 There are very few plants that produce flowers and nectar at this time of the year. One plant that does is the ivy, and as such is an important plant for insects which have meagre opportunities to feed otherwise.

Ivy has tow forms of leaf. Immature leaves have between 3 and 5 lobes but mature leaves are oval or heart shaped. The plant can grow as ground cover or can use trees to support it and grow up to 30 m high,


Some people think that the ivy plant "strangles" the tree it grow on. This is not so - the ivy has its own root system and greatly increases biodiversity. The only harm to a tree might be that the tree presents a bigger area to winds and is perhaps more likely to be blown over.

Useful tip ..... In Ancient Rome it was thought that if you wore a wreath of ivy you could drink as much as you liked without becoming intoxicated. (worth a try?). The God Bacchus is always depicted with an ivy wreath on his head. In this country ivy was used as a symbol of fidelity and there is a tradition to include a sprig of ivy in bridal bouquets.

Diary.
The COP climate summit in Glasgow is coming to an end. World leaders seem to be failing us! The following post arrived via Facebook and gives a cynical view of their promises.






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