LeafWatch 2020

[Vale!]

I thought I'd place a reminder that it's getting to that point in the year when the stirrup cup overfloweth and the horn calls, thus signalling that hunting oak leaves is worthwhile (for those who subscribe to the 'Oak Leaves Matter' campaign, of course).

Those further North on hunting expeditions now may well do better than I did yesterday, and those further South less well. I'd be interested to hear reports from other hunters, geographically distant.





Lurking around my primary tree, it looked as though many/most oak leaves were from a late-Summer drop ; the tree itself hasn't started Autumn-undressing in earnest.

However I do have some reserve trees, in the same wood but in the thickest part and much less accessible to all but the most intrepid explorer. The same area also harbours loads of vicious brambles which, judging from the amount of fruit still on them at bramble-jam-making time, haven't yet been discovered by looters. Anyway, I collected a few freshly-dropped oak leaves from there yesterday.

I'll give it another two or three weeks before checking my traps again, I think.

[mantis]

What a coincidence I got a bag of beech leaves yesterday as I read those are safe for aquariums too.

Just wondering if you have any tips for making them safe aside from boiling them? Also can you leave leaf litter in the aquarium even as it breaks down and just put more on top?

[BigBen]

That's quite a hunt! I only collected about two dozen!

[Vale!]

... tips for making them safe aside from boiling them?

Well I haven't tried anything other than drying them immediately after collection and then simmering them very briefly (for c5 mins) before use. But I suppose you could steep them in dilute bleach and then dry them off (peroxide would also work but a bit costly). Bit of unnecessary (IMO) faff, though? I have contemplated experimentally microwaving them - I'll report back if I do try that.

Also can you leave leaf litter in the aquarium even as it breaks down and just put more on top?

Most certainly, yes! It might not suit those who like to keep clinically-clean aquariums, but it suits fish and invertebrates (and the microcritters further down that food chain). I tend towards a happy medium : I remove some of the corpses of decayed leaves (particularly the skeletons of Catappa) for aesthetics' sake ; and heap fresh leaves on top. Within limits, I don't care what my tanks look like (hence I never have felt able to enter any for 'Tank of the Month' comps!).

[Triumph-Rat]

How far would you guys recommend to collect from roads, railways etc as I have both near my house and don't want to introduce any nasties into my tanks, or does the boiling get rid of everything.

I could collect loads during work but a lot of it is around arable fields and don't know what may have been sprayed.

[Vale!]

That's quite a hunt!

It's a contingency sample! I use loads through the year so I'll need at least one more expedition to fill my big bag.

I do have a few bags of leaves in the freezer from years ago, just in case anything were to go wrong - a hunting accident, perhaps - which may prevent me from gathering them 'fresh'.

[Ricrhys]

I live in 80 acres of ancient woods, if anybody needs any leaves I ask you hunt no further than the drive, if you could all organise it so you do one hunt every few days that would be lovely.

My current drive pile

[mantis]

Most certainly, yes! It might not suit those who like to keep clinically-clean aquariums, but it suits fish and invertebrates (and the microcritters further down that food chain). I tend towards a happy medium : I remove some of the corpses of decayed leaves (particularly the skeletons of Catappa) for aesthetics' sake ; and heap fresh leaves on top. Within limits, I don't care what my tanks look like (hence I never have felt able to enter any for 'Tank of the Month' comps!).

Excellent! I'd like a bit of a blackwater look so I'll leave some in there

[Triumph-Rat]

I live in 80 acres of ancient woods, if anybody needs any leaves I ask you hunt no further than the drive, if you could all organise it so you do one hunt every few days that would be lovely.

My current drive pile

@Ricrhys Your home looks flimsy and has no windows. I feel sorry for you

(wasn't me)

[Vale!]

How far would you guys recommend to collect from roads, railways etc ... or does the boiling get rid of everything.

I don't have definitive answers apart from telling you my own experience : my 'rule', before I found my current tree(s) was that if I could hear heavy traffic then I would think at least twice ; I've never collected near railways but I imagine nowadays, everything else being equal, that they shouldn't pose much of a risk?

I haven't any evidence to suggest that boiling doesn't remove all relevant nasties - we're talking things like diesel particulates, I assume? I've had no problems, even though I use the liquor (that's left after the leaves are removed from boiling) in my tanks. But then I'm starting from what I believe is an unpolluted source, I suppose.

What it may be handy to be aware of, if one happens to live in a relevant area, is that oak trees (and possibly others) use Autumn-shedding as an opportunity to get rid of toxins that they may have sucked out of the ground. So collecting from an area where (for instance) mining has happened, or which is adjacent to industrial pollutants in pools or rivers, should be a no-no!

I could collect loads during work but a lot of it is around arable fields and don't know what may have been sprayed.

There are rules about crop-spraying (https://www.hse.gov.uk/pesticides/using ... /index.htm) which should at least limit the leaking of pesticides past field perimeters - if followed, of course! Crop-dusting from aeroplanes or drones must render the rules redundant, I would think - though I don't know whether that's done in the UK?

Also it may depend on when the spraying is taking place. Oak trees seem to be extremely popular with all sorts of bugs and parasites that irritate the trees so much that they often have a second blush of new leaves in mid- Summer to enable them to keep photosynthesising as they'd like. So (I'm guessing) if adjacent crops had been sprayed in the Spring, by the time Autumn comes along most/all drift-annointed leaves would have decomposed ; and the new Autumn-drop leaves would be spray-free. If that makes sense.