Longridge Environment Group's tribute to special tree

LEG is sharing information about the hawthorn - its tree of the week

Longridge Environment Group has decided to celebrate the Ribble Valley town’s trees, including those in Towneley Gardens, by promoting a new tree each week/

Spokesman Martin Brown said: “First up is the hawthorn - the Queen of May.”

Describing it as a spring magician “with powers of fertility, protection and happiness” moredetails about the hawthorn, popular for both hedging and as a tree, can be found on the Longridge Environment Group’s Facebook page.

LEG member William Maxwell noted: “Hawthorn flowers in May and the rhyme ‘here we go gathering nuts in May’ refers to hawthorn knots (not in fact ‘nuts’) of May blossom...It was certainly the first choice for mayday garlands and has links to Maypole dancing...For the Harry Potter generation, hawthorn is venerated for wand making. It has lovely twisted grain and trees that can live up to 700 years. It also burns the hottest of any seasoned wood.”