178. Capon Tree
A Scottish oak with an enigmatic name is a roadside landmark.
It’s a fifteen-minute schlepp out of town, along a pavement by the busy A68, to the incredible Capon Tree. This 1,000-year-old sessile oak rests close to the Jed Water in a fenced enclosure. Gravity has prevailed, and the tree now sprawls in a tangle of slow decay – but its great limbs, cleaved off centuries ago, still sprout forth each spring.
Species details
Sessile oak
Quercus petraea
Where to find it
A68, Jedburgh TD8 6NY
///stones.hours.precluded | 55.462309, -2.553677
What a fabulous photo!
Fascinating how this ancient oak continues sprouting despite its horizontal posture. The fact that limbs cleaved off centuries ago still leaf out speaks to the resiliance built into these slow-growth species. Makes me wonder how many historical events this tree witnessed over it's millennium.