Walk Church Sunday February 2025. St Mary Crundale
A week ago last Sunday, 14 of us reflected together on the story of Jesus in the boat on the stormy Sea of Galilee, with his fear-stricken disciples. They had the power to master the crisis, if only they had faith — a reminder to us to have faith in ourselves, trusting in the confidence God places in us.
Later, we passed a majestic ash tree (shown above and below), the kind of landmark tree that becomes a point of reference in the landscape. Sadly, it is now dying, or very likely dead — and yet there it stands, still exuding a sense of presence. The photo shows how it is supporting a different form of life: there are lichens and fungi, and holes where birds and insects have made their homes. For us humans, it will live on in the memory and folklore of all who have walked past it.
This ash tree, like so many others, is a victim of ash die-back (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus). When we first passed it during one of our earliest Walk Church gatherings in 2018, it was already showing signs of distress. The loss of so many ashes is placing serious pressure on certain species, because few trees support as much biodiversity as the ash. According to Small Woods magazine, the ash supports a staggering 955 species including:
- 12 species of bird
- 58 bryophytes (mosses and liverworts)
- 68 fungi
- 241 invertebrates (creatures without backbones, including insects)
- 548 lichens
- 28 mammals
The vast frame of this tree prompts me to reflect on power and impermanence, that all our lives are temporal. What memories will we leave behind?
Our next Walk Church will be on Sunday, 23rd March, meeting at Selling Church.