h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Does anyone accept the Editors' T-shirt Challenge to write an entry entitled A Short Guide To Spotting British Trees?

Hmmm - that's particularly tricky, even with a pictorial reference. Something text-based will be very tough.

I may write something about bleeding canker...

Agreed. We take your point. Could be tricky. Let's modify it slightly to A Short Guide To British Trees, leaving out the word 'Spotting'. This may help a fraction in loosening up the remit a bit. Kudos to anyone who takes this up.

Spotting them? Why, do you Brits usually walk right into them if you don't spot them first? If there's a tree, and you see it...

OK, maybe this is one of those teminology things, like hiking vs walking.

Barely along the same lines, there's a move among the Parks Service to rename all our lovely Sycamores London Plane Tree. I have no idea why.

Wake me up when it loosens to the extent of "A short guide to recent tree diseases"

I don't find it at all difficult to spot trees! Anyone who does, probably needs glasses and perhaps a minder. Hint: the tree is generally the large/tall wooden thing with branches and even leaves, buds or flowers rather than wires or sails. Spotting *British* trees, as opposed to foreign ones whose ancestors were imported during human occupation, is slightly trickier of course. Even some individual trees of native British species may not themselves actually be British. They don't generally have passports and visas.

Kind of what I meant, but said much better. Kudos.

That's one I might be interested in. If anyone else fancies it, go ahead though. I still have a few in progress and I'm not whoring for clothes just yet.

You know you'll have to write it now, KB,. don't you? It's exactly what I said to another challenge, and guess who's writing that entry now

Funny - I said the same thing to a challenge and it landed in my lap too!
Going...going...

(Though on the Challenge page it says that you have to say "I accept the Challenge" and I haven't yet - but neither has almost anyone else, I believe. )


....gone?

Fair play to anyone who takes this on. It doesn't have to be massive or comprehensive in a botanical Richard Attenborough sort of way. Just a short guide to the major trees that you can find in Britain would be ace. From Scots pines to silver birches, plane trees to weeping willows, fruit trees to chestnut tress etc, that kind of thing. Roughly what they look like, are they evergreen or deciduous, where are they, do they bear fruit, any interesting facts etc. Also, trees play a significant role in the old symbology of countryside lore and myth, the rowan tree in particular springs to mind.

Richard Attenborough?

I've never seen anything like it in my life.

Sorry, David Attenborough.

Ah what the hell then, I'll give her a blast.

Brilliant! King Bomba, we are not worthy.

I've been thinking there's a lot in this subject. Unless you specifically want *one* entry, how would a uni project sound?

A University Project on British Trees? We'd be absolutely *delighted* with that if you were up for it.

I've a couple of popular tree books at home, so let me know if you need a hand, KB.

Would you like to pitch in? Feel free if you do.

I'll have to work out a structure and find out about the whole submission process, as I've never worked on a uni project before.